ProStor InfiniVault - DICOM





ProStor InfiniVault- DICOM: Medical Images Storage

Medical images from scanning devices (modalities) and systems such as Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS) and Radiology Imaging Systems (RIS) are critical information that must be protected and retained for long periods of time. Storing medical images is a concern for a variety of reasons, including the economics for long-term retention, HIPAA compliance, and ensuring the availability of the images when needed.

The retention period of medical images varies depending on the type of image and the institutional practices. Some images must be retained for seven years to several decades, making the costs of storage an ongoing and increasing concern. During the period that an image must be retained, the factors for storing an image may change significantly:

  • There may be storage technology changes such that the images must be migrated to a newer technology that replaces the current one. Regularly converting to the new technology may represent a significant cost.
  • As more images are stored, the systems used to store the images will consume increasing space and power and continue to require cooling that becomes more expensive over time.

Another major concern for storing medical images is the increasing capacity demand. The fact that more studies are being done and that technological advances are increasing exam file sizes, the economics of retaining images and technology obsolescence issues are strategic considerations.

The ProStor InfiniVault – DICOM system solves the problem for storage and long-term retention of medical images. It can protect from technology obsolescence by storing images in the DICOM format and using RDX® removable disk cartridges that have a 30-year archival life and allow for usage of higher capacity disks as they become available, with no system changes required. Unlike usage of other technologies such as tape – media and drives – which must be totally replaced when a tape drive technology change occurs (average cycle is 6 years), or non-removable disk systems which must be replaced every 5 years, or optical devices where the drive to read the optical platters is no longer manufactured and the storage capacities are comparatively small, the ProStor InfiniVault – DICOM system protects from the expense of technology obsolescence.