Hello,

I think that what you are looking for is the WADO -Web Access to Dicom
Objects, documented in part 18 of the 2004 edition of the standard.

The protocol is used for transferring images and other dicom data
across HTTP, but I don't know how many vendors currently support it.
One of its capabilities is to produce scaled images - the thumbnails
that you are looking for.

As an implementation hint, a WADO server can be implemented as an
Apache module, for instance and it acts as a broker between the client
and the PACS/SCP.

HTH,
Razvan.
P.S. Other image-related protocol adopted in dicom is JPIP, but I am
not that familiar with it. I do know that it can offer images with
various detail levels and that can be useful too in the situation you
describe as it speeds up the transmission.

There is no reason that Icon Image Sequence cannot be returned via
a C-FIND at the IMAGE level of the query, though this is not often
done.

David

miaomiao@gmail.com wrote:

> If there are many images (e.g. there are over 400 images under one CT
> series) to be transfered, transferring thumbnails before the all images
> can help doctor save time.
>
> For transferring these thumbnails, is there any special format and
> protoal mentioned in the DICOM standard?
>
> Can the icon image sequence be used for the thumbnail transmission?
>
> Thanks a lot!
>

Thanks Razvan!
I think the thumbnail not only can be used in web access, but also can
be used in LAN.
One purpose is to improve the transmission speed via WAN because it's
reduced size,
another reason is for doctor's previewing all the studies/series/images
quickly, which can be applied in LAN.
How do you think of it?
So what is the protocol when it is transferred thru LAN?

Thanks Davind!
Same feeling here.
Icon Image Sequence (IIS) definitely can be transferred thru C-FIND nd
C-MOVE.
But the problem is I am not sure the IIS is the way to transfer the
thumbnails.