DICOM PS3.4 2024e - Service Class Specifications

B Storage Service Class (Normative)

B.1 Overview

B.1.1 Scope

The Storage Service Class defines an application-level class-of-service that facilitates the simple transfer of information Instances (objects).. It allows one DICOM AE to send images, waveforms, reports, etc., to another.

Information Object Definitions for Instances that are transferred under the Storage Service Class shall adhere to the Composite Instance IOD Information Model specified in PS3.3, and include at least the Patient, Study, and Series Information Entities.

B.1.2 Service Definition

Two peer DICOM AEs implement a SOP Class of the Storage Service Class with one serving in the SCU role and one serving in the SCP role. SOP Classes of the Storage Service Class are implemented using the C-STORE DIMSE-C service. C-STORE is described in PS3.7. A successful completion of the C-STORE has the following semantics:

  • Both the SCU and the SCP support the type of information to be stored.

  • The information is stored in some medium.

  • For some time frame, the information may be accessed.

Note

  1. Support for Storage SOP Classes does not necessarily involve support for SOP Classes of the Query/Retrieve Service Class. How the information may be accessed is implementation dependent. It is required that some access method exists. This method may require an implementation dependent operation at the SCP of the Storage Service Class. The duration of the storage is also implementation dependent, but is described in the Conformance Statement of the SCP. Storage SOP Classes are intended to be used in a variety of environments: e.g., for modalities to transfer images to workstations or archives, for archives to transfer images to workstations or back to modalities, for workstations to transfer processed images to archives, etc.

  2. For the JPIP Referenced Pixel Data transfer syntaxes, transfers may result in storage of incomplete information in that the pixel data may be partially or completely transferred by some other mechanism at the discretion of the SCP.

DICOM PS3.4 2024e - Service Class Specifications