Overview
This node processes DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) files, which are standard formats for medical imaging data. It supports multiple operations on DICOM files such as extracting metadata, anonymizing patient information, converting to other image or data formats, and validating the file against standards.
The Extract Metadata operation specifically extracts DICOM tags and metadata from a binary DICOM file input. This is useful in healthcare workflows where you need to read patient or study information embedded in medical images without manual inspection. For example, automatically retrieving patient name, study date, or modality type from imaging devices for record keeping or further automated processing.
Properties
| Name | Meaning |
|---|---|
| File Property Name | Name of the binary property containing the DICOM file to process (default: "data"). |
| Include Fields | Comma-separated list of specific DICOM tags to include in the output metadata. If empty, all tags are included. Example tags: PatientName, StudyDate, Modality. |
| Include Pixel Data | Boolean flag indicating whether to include pixel data (image data) in the extracted metadata output. Pixel data can be very large, so this is optional. |
Output
The output JSON object contains extracted DICOM metadata fields. Based on the stub implementation, it includes example fields such as:
patientName: Patient's name (e.g., "ANONYMOUS" in stub)studyDate: Date of the study (e.g., "20230101")modality: Imaging modality type (e.g., "CT")
Additionally, the output includes a sourceFile field indicating the binary property name used as input.
If the "Include Pixel Data" option is enabled, the pixel data from the DICOM file would also be included in the output JSON (not shown in stub).
No binary output is produced for this operation; all results are in the JSON output.
Dependencies
- The node requires the input item to contain a binary property with the DICOM file data.
- No external API keys or services are required for the extract metadata operation.
- The node relies on internal helper functions (stubbed here) that presumably parse DICOM files.
Troubleshooting
- Missing Binary Data Property: If the specified binary property name does not exist on an input item, the node throws an error stating no binary data property exists. Ensure the input items have the correct binary property name matching the configured "File Property Name".
- Empty or Invalid DICOM Files: If the binary data is not a valid DICOM file, metadata extraction may fail or return incomplete data. Validate input files before processing.
- Large Pixel Data: Enabling "Include Pixel Data" may cause large outputs and increased memory usage. Use this option only if necessary.