Description

DCMTK is a collection of libraries and applications implementing large parts the DICOM standard.

It includes software ...

  • for examining, constructing and converting DICOM image files
  • handling storage media
  • sending and receiving images over a network connection
  • as well as demonstrative image storage and worklist servers

DCMTK is is written in a mixture of ANSI C and C++. It comes in complete source code and is made available as open source software.

DCMTK has been used at numerous DICOM demonstrations to provide central, vendor-independent image storage and worklist servers (CTNs - Central Test Nodes).

It is used by hospitals and companies all over the world for a wide variety of purposes ranging from being a tool for product testing to being a building block for research projects, prototypes and commercial products.

Release Model

There are currently two different types of DCMTK releases:

Minor Releases A minor release marks a point in DCMTK development that we consider sufficiently stable for public use. The release process contains a feature freeze phase during which development is focused on code review and bug squashing. The main resource for measuring code stability are our nightly builds and automated test cases on the various platforms. Exhaustive, manual testing is only performed on our core platforms Windows and Linux. You can identify a minor release on its version number -- only the last digit changes.
Major Releases Major releases are more extensively tested and validated. This is reflected in a longer feature freeze phase and more manual tests. These are also performed on more than only our core platforms. Furthermore, time is allocated to, for example, ensure compatibility with new releases of the used external libraries.

All releases are published on this website as executable binary packages and as source code. Furthermore, the release is marked in our Source Code Repository using the Git tag mechanism, so you may also download it from there.

Further information regarding DCMTK:

  • See the documentation included with the source code packages for the latest information about changes in DCMTK between releases.
  • A summary of the highlights of the current release is available in the ANNOUNCE file.
  • An overview of the toolkit's modules is included in the distribution's README file.
  • The COPYRIGHT text is also available online.
  • Frequently asked questions are answered in the FAQ.
  • An overview of known issues and vulnerabilities in the various DCMTK releases can be found in the DCMTK Wiki on the "Known Issues" page.
  • A complete list of known (open and resolved) issues can be found in the Bug Tracker. Please note that issues are only resolved in the latest version of DCMTK (i.e. the current DCMTK snapshot).