A LIMITED PACS DEDICATED TO A RESEARCH ENVIRONMENT - 9 YEARS EXPERIENCE IN SANTIAGO-DE-COMPOSTELA

A digital image network has been installed at the Department of Radiol ogy of the University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain, to create a 'l imited' Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS). This experi ence is being dedicated to address problems associated with digital te chniques in a research environment. The backbone of the system is a mu ltiprotocol ethernet network. Attached to the network are a number of advanced devices such as DEC VAX and UNIX workstations. Currently, a h igh resolution film digitizer and a laser printer are under evaluation for radiologic image research. During a period of nine years, 1987 to 1993, experimental and clinical trials have been conducted on differe nt film based digital radiography apparatus primarily dedicated to che st and breast imaging. Several research projects have been completed. In this paper we describe the results of these investigations and disc uss the advantages and disadvantages of this digital technique. The re sults of the different completed studies will be presented separately. A description of the physical characteristics of the limited PACS sys tem dedicated to a research environment will serve as background.