Picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) for radiological images: state of the art.

Implementation of a Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) is a system integration task and requires the knowledge of multidisciplinary fields. This paper reviews current PACS development with emphasis on radiological images. The following topics are covered: methods of image acquisition, image compression, storage, display, communication, and image database structure. Methods of implementation of PACS in a clinical environment as well as current operational PACS in hospitals are reviewed. A survey of private industry participating in PACS research and development are also given.