DICOM interception system for independent image backup

The management of network and information services in an hospital environment is an arduous task with continuous new challenges. Hospital information services should maintain a high degree of service reliability and resilience and imperative data preservation while maintaining modern and legacy end-devices, usually, with proprietary software and/or outsourced management. This paper presents the architecture and implementation results of a DICOM interception system for alternative and independent medical imaging backup in hospital IP networks. The main purpose of this network/service management support system is to capture, at the network level, DICOM images sent from different image acquisition devices to a central DICOM/PACS server and store them in multiple heterogeneous backup locations. The interception system will serve as a network based entity that will allow an independent way of performing medical imaging backup. The system will not require any change of the medical imaging devices configurations. Its importance is more relevant in hospital networks where imaging devices are older and/or include proprietary interfaces, which do not allow the definition of storing alternatives and/or do not support local temporary backup. The system is based on open-source tools available in any Linux distribution, which is the basis of a low cost and easy deployable solution.