COTS-like generic medical image repository

Medical image repositories play an important role in the hospital workflow. Image repositories are used in the following context: 1. Acquisition - to store medical image data obtained from modality acquisition systems (XRAY, MR, CTscanners etc); 2. second work spot - medical image data stored in a repository as described in point (1) is moved to a workstation from which radiologists can view and perform post processing actions on the medical image data; 3) PACS - the images stored as described in points (1) and (2) are then archived to a central repository commonly referred to as PACS (picture archiving and communications system). The operations in the hospital workflow such as image storage and retrieval, viewing, post processing can be served by a generic repository component using which different modalities can develop their own clinical applications. This paper talks about the challenges that are imminent in realizing such a repository component and the possibility of how they can be overcome. While doing so this paper also describes how the component satisfies the characteristics of a COTS product. This component is used for storage and retrieval of medical image data with the underlying storage being a commercial RDBMS.