spectrIm-QMRS
Version 3.0.1 Alpha
Workflow
spectrIm-QMRS can be configured as a DICOM network receiver so that a scanner, PACS, or another workstation can send image and spectroscopy DICOM objects directly to the application computer. This page describes the practical setup steps and the clinical-network concepts behind the DICOM listener workflow.
For a concise background on why this matters clinically, see the DICOM crash course for clinical spectroscopy.
In DICOM terminology, spectrIm-QMRS acts as an Application Entity that can accept incoming DICOM associations. The sending system needs the spectrIm-QMRS AE title, IP address, and port number. The receiving computer must also be reachable through the hospital network and local firewall.
Received DICOM objects can then be stored and renamed using DICOM metadata. The resulting directory can be inspected with the Patient/Study Browser, where images and spectroscopy series can be loaded for processing, fitting, mapping, and reporting.
Open DICOM Network > Configure DICOM Network Nodes.
Configure the local spectrIm-QMRS node with a clear name, a stable IP
address, a receive port, and an AE title. The old documentation used
11112 as an example DICOM port and
SPECTRIM_QMRS_RECEIVE as an example receive AE title.
Also configure the remote DICOM node that will send data to spectrIm, such as the MR scanner, PACS, or satellite console. At minimum this requires the remote node name, IP address, port, and AE title.
To be updated: add the current version 3.0.1 Alpha DICOM node configuration dialog screenshot and confirm the exact visible fields.
Most clinical DICOM senders do not send data to arbitrary computers. The spectrIm-QMRS receiving node usually has to be entered on the scanner, PACS, or routing system by an administrator. The sending system must know the same AE title, IP address, and port configured in spectrIm-QMRS.
For stable clinical operation, use a fixed IP address or a hospital-managed hostname. If the computer receives a new DHCP address after reboot or reconnection, DICOM transfer from the scanner may fail even when the spectrIm-QMRS settings look correct.
Open DICOM Network > DICOM Network Listener and Renaming Control. This control window starts the receiving workflow and defines how incoming DICOM files are stored and renamed. Renaming is important because raw DICOM network filenames are often not useful for a human operator, while tag-based folder and file names can preserve study, series, acquisition, and instance information.
This is a legacy listener screenshot copied from the previous website. Replace it with a current version 3.0.1 Alpha screenshot after confirming the listener window still has the same controls.
Once the listener is running, send the relevant image and spectroscopy series from the scanner, PACS, or DICOM router to the spectrIm-QMRS AE title. For MRS(I), it is usually useful to send both the spectroscopy data and the corresponding anatomical images needed for spatial orientation, voxel/grid display, and map overlays.
After transfer, inspect the received directory and make sure the series were received completely. Missing image slices, incomplete spectroscopy instances, or wrong patient/study routing should be corrected before preprocessing or fitting.
The received and renamed directory can be mounted with the File menu. The Patient/Study Browser then shows the DICOM hierarchy and lets the user load image and spectroscopy series into the Clinical Viewer.
From this point onward, the normal analysis workflow applies: inspect spectra in anatomical context, choose voxels or regions, preprocess data, create simple feature maps, and then continue to TDFDFit quantification when quantitative results are required. If the mounted directory contains screenshots or imported images stored as DICOM Secondary Capture objects, these can be opened in a separate viewer frame from the Patient/Study Browser. See the Secondary Capture workflow.
DICOM is both a file format and a network protocol for medical imaging objects. The same metadata that identifies patient, study, series, modality, and acquisition geometry is also used by spectrIm-QMRS to sort, display, and rename received data.
spectrIm-QMRS uses the Java dcm4che ecosystem for DICOM
parsing and network-related tooling. The project contains
dcm4che2 2.0.29 components such as
dcm4che-tool-dcmrcv, dcmsnd, and
dcmecho, plus selected dcm4che 3.3.7 libraries.
The DICOM Network menu shows an automatic-processing entry, but it is disabled in the current version 3.0.1 Alpha screenshot. Before documenting this as a live workflow, the enabling conditions, safety checks, and relation to Processing Actions should be confirmed.
Incoming clinical data should be handled according to local hospital policies. Documentation screenshots should avoid identifiable patient information unless the dataset is fully anonymized and approved for teaching or documentation use.