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Anonymize or Deidentify Data

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Vrinda edited this page May 11, 2023 · 7 revisions

This page briefly guides and acquaints the user with coercion type to anonymize or de-identify DICOM dataset attributes' values.

Content

Brief Description

A DICOM dataset coming in or going out of the archive may require anonymization or de-identification of certain attribute values, to allow DICOM data to be used for research or teaching purposes or to share with any third party systems. Anonymize or de-identify certain DICOM attributes with help of a Anonymize Data coercion type.

Anonymization or de-identification of DICOM dataset attribute values is done in conformance with DICOM Part 15's Attribute Confidentiality Profiles

Refer

Applicability using Archive Attribute Coercion rules

New Archive Attribute Coercion can be used to anonymize or de-identify DICOM attributes in :

  • incoming C-STORE requests on receive of DICOM objects to archive sent from external systems
  • outgoing C-STORE requests on sending DICOM objects from archive to external systems
  • incoming (MWL) C-FIND requests to archive
  • incoming (MWL) C-FIND responses to archive
  • outgoing (MWL) C-FIND requests from archive
  • incoming MPPS N-CREATE requests to archive

Legacy Archive Attribute Coercions can be used to anonymize or de-identify DICOM attributes in :

  • outgoing C-STORE requests on sending DICOM objects from archive to external systems

Configurable fields on Archive Attribute Coercion rules

Anonymizing or de-identifying DICOM dataset attributes can be applied using either :

(Recommended) Specifying one or more Supported De-identification Profiles as comma separated in Attribute Coercion URI, f.e. deidentify:RetainDeviceIdentityOption,RetainUIDsOption on New Archive Attribute Coercion

OR

Selecting one or more Supported De-identification Profiles in field De-identification(s) on Legacy Archive Attribute Coercion

See

De-identification Action Codes

Each de-identification profile or option protects or retains specific DICOM attributes in a dataset, based on specific de-identification action codes.

Action Code Meaning
D replace with a non-zero length value that may be a dummy value and consistent with the Value Representation
Z replace with a zero length value, or a non-zero length value that may be a dummy value and consistent with the Value Representation
X remove the attribute value
U replace with a non-zero length UID that is internally consistent within a set of Instances

Action codes are applicable to both Sequence and non Sequence attributes. In the case of Sequences, the action is applicable to the Sequence and all of its contents.

Supported De-identification Profiles

RetainInstitutionIdentityOption

If this option is used in the coercion i.e. Attribute Coercion URI is set as deidentify:RetainInstitutionIdentityOption, following institution specific fields in incoming DICOM objects are retained in the DB.

  • Institution Name (0008,0080)
  • Institution Code Sequence (0008,0082)
  • Institution Address (0008,0081)
  • Institutional Department Name (0008,1040)
  • Institutional Department Type Code Sequence (0008,1041)

To illustrate

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