Li Xiangrui, Morgan Paul S, Ashburner John, Smith Jolinda, Rorden Christopher
Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Brain Imaging, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
Medical Physics & Clinical Engineering, Nottingham University Hospitals, Nottingham, UK.
J Neurosci Methods. 2016 May 1;264:47-56. doi: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2016.03.001. Epub 2016 Mar 2.
Clinical imaging data are typically stored and transferred in the DICOM format, whereas the NIfTI format has been widely adopted by scientists in the neuroimaging community. Therefore, a vital initial step in processing the data is to convert images from the complicated DICOM format to the much simpler NIfTI format. While there are a number of tools that usually handle DICOM to NIfTI conversion seamlessly, some variations can disrupt this process.
We provide some insight into the challenges faced with image conversion. First, different manufacturers implement the DICOM format differently which complicates the conversion. Second, different modalities and sub-modalities may need special treatment during conversion. Lastly, the image transferring and archiving can also impact the DICOM conversion.
We present results in several error-prone domains, including the slice order for functional imaging, phase encoding direction for distortion correction, effect of diffusion gradient direction, and effect of gantry correction for some imaging modality.
Conversion tools are often designed for a specific manufacturer or modality. The tools and insight we present here are aimed at different manufacturers or modalities.
The imaging conversion is complicated by the variation of images. An understanding of the conversion basics can be helpful for identifying the source of the error. Here we provide users with simple methods for detecting and correcting problems. This also serves as an overview for developers who wish to either develop their own tools or adapt the open source tools created by the authors.
临床影像数据通常以DICOM格式存储和传输，而神经影像领域的科学家广泛采用NIfTI格式。因此，数据处理的关键第一步是将图像从复杂的DICOM格式转换为简单得多的NIfTI格式。虽然有许多工具通常能无缝处理DICOM到NIfTI的转换，但一些变化可能会扰乱这个过程。
我们深入探讨了图像转换面临的挑战。首先，不同制造商对DICOM格式的实现方式不同，这使转换变得复杂。其次，不同的模态和子模态在转换过程中可能需要特殊处理。最后，图像传输和存档也会影响DICOM转换。
我们展示了几个容易出错领域的结果，包括功能成像的切片顺序、失真校正的相位编码方向、扩散梯度方向的影响以及某些成像模态的机架校正的影响。
转换工具通常是为特定制造商或模态设计的。我们在此展示的工具和见解适用于不同的制造商或模态。
图像的变化使成像转换变得复杂。了解转换基础知识有助于识别错误来源。在此，我们为用户提供检测和纠正问题的简单方法。这也为希望开发自己的工具或改编作者创建的开源工具的开发者提供了一个概述。
