Picture archiving and communication system (PACS): medical perspectives.

PACS represents the natural evolution from the digital new modalities (US, CT, MRI,...) to a global digital environment, where the film based activities are progressively replaced by their digital counterpart. The advantages of the technique, as well as the drawbacks of the first implementations, are described. The "second generation" PACS concept is presented (modular architecture, progressive implementation, multivendor environment, integration with the Hospital Information System, standardization,...). As "case study", the example of the A.Z.-V.U.B. Hospital Implementation is described.