Figure KKK-1 illustrates the approach to enabling a heterogeneous environment with conversion from single to multi-frame objects as appropriate. In this figure, modalities that generate single or enhanced images peacefully co-exist with PACS or workstations that support either or both.
The following use-cases are explicitly supported:
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A PACS that accepts single frame images, and converts them to Multi-frame Images for its own internal use.
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A PACS that accepts single frame images, and converts them to Multi-frame Images for externalization via DICOM services (Query/Retrieval) so that they can be used by external workstations (or other processing applications) that support Multi-frame Images.
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A PACS that accepts Multi-frame Images from a modality, and converts them to single frame images for its own internal use.
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A PACS that accepts true and/or legacy converted enhanced Multi-frame Images, and converts them to single frame images for externalization via DICOM services (Query/Retrieval) so that they can be used by external workstations (or other processing applications) that do not support Multi-frame Images.
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A modality that can create true enhanced Multi-frame Images, as well as receive true (+/- legacy converted) enhanced Multi-frame Images.
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Return of results from workstations in either single frame or true or legacy converted enhanced multi-frame form.
The amount of standard information is the same in single frame and transitional legacy-converted Multi-frame Images, but greater in the true enhanced Multi-frame Images, and this affects the level of functionality obtainable within the PACS or with an external workstation (without depending on private information).
Since the transitional legacy-converted and true enhanced Multi-frame Images share a common structure and common functional group macros, this scalability can be implemented incrementally.
It is NOT the expectation that modalities will generate Legacy Converted Enhanced Image Storage SOP Instances; rather, they should create True Enhanced Image Storage SOP Instances fully populated with the appropriate Standard Attributes and codes.