Content Sequence Attribute
| Tag | (0040,A730) |
|---|---|
| Type | Optional (3) |
| Keyword | ContentSequence |
| Value Multiplicity | 1 |
| Value Representation | Sequence (SQ) |
A potentially recursively nested Sequence of Items that conveys structured content.
One or more Items are permitted in this Sequence.
See Section C.17.3.2.4 and Section C.24.2.2 for further explanation.
Section C.17.3.2.4
C.17.3.2.4 Content Sequence and Relationship Type
Content Sequence (0040,A730) provides the hierarchical structuring of the Content Tree (see Section C.17.3.1) by recursively nesting Content Items. A parent (or source) Content Item has an explicit relationship to each child (or target) Content Item, conveyed by Relationship Type (0040,A010).
Table C.17.3-8 describes the Relationship Types between Source Content Items and the Target Content Items.
Table C.17.3-8. Relationship Type Definitions
|
Relationship Type |
Description |
Definition and Example |
|---|---|---|
|
CONTAINS |
Contains |
Source Item contains Target Content Item. E.g., CONTAINER "History" {CONTAINS: TEXT "mother had breast cancer", CONTAINS: IMAGE}. |
|
HAS OBS CONTEXT |
Has Observation Context |
Target Content Items shall convey any specialization of Observation Context needed for unambiguous documentation of the Source Content Item. E.g., CONTAINER "Report" {HAS OBS CONTEXT: PNAME "Recording Observer" = "Smith^John^^Dr^"}. |
|
HAS CONCEPT MOD |
Has Concept Modifier |
Used to qualify or describe the Concept Name of the Source Content Item, such as to create a post-coordinated description of a concept, or to further describe a concept. E.g., CODE "Chest X-Ray" {HAS CONCEPT MOD: CODE "View = PA and Lateral"} E.g., CODE "Breast" {HAS CONCEPT MOD: TEXT "French Translation" = " Sein "} E.g., CODE "2VCXRPALAT" {HAS CONCEPT MOD: TEXT "Further Explanation" = "Chest X-Ray, Two Views, Postero-anterior and Lateral"}. |
|
HAS PROPERTIES |
Has Properties |
Description of properties of the Source Content Item. E.g., CODE "Mass" {HAS PROPERTIES: CODE "anatomic location", HAS PROPERTIES: CODE "diameter", HAS PROPERTIES: CODE "margin", …}. |
|
HAS ACQ CONTEXT |
Has Acquisition Context |
The Target Content Item describes the conditions present during data acquisition of the Source Content Item. E.g., IMAGE {HAS ACQ CONTEXT: CODE "contrast agent", HAS ACQ CONTEXT: CODE "position of imaging subject", …}. |
|
INFERRED FROM |
Inferred From |
Source Content Item conveys a measurement or other inference made from the Target Content Items. Denotes the supporting evidence for a measurement or judgment. E.g., CODE "Malignancy" {INFERRED FROM: CODE "Mass", INFERRED FROM: CODE "Lymphadenopathy", …}. E.g., NUM: "BPD" = "5mm" {INFERRED FROM: SCOORD}. |
|
SELECTED FROM |
Selected From |
Source Content Item conveys spatial or temporal coordinates selected from the Target Content Item(s). E.g., SCOORD "POLYLINE1,1 5,10 5,10 1,10 1,1" {SELECTED FROM: IMAGE}. E.g., TCOORD "SEGMENT 60-200mS" {SELECTED FROM: WAVEFORM}. |
Section C.24.2.2
C.24.2.2 Content Sequence
Content Sequence (0040,A730) encodes structured content relevant to the Encapsulated Document (0042,0011). This allows structured data in DICOM encoded form to accompany or describe some or all of the contents of the otherwise opaque encapsulated document, and enables receiving implementations to extract that data, e.g., to tabulate numeric measurements, provide them as merge fields for dictation, or store them in a database.
Note
Some encapsulated document formats may themselves have some structured content, e.g., the non-narrative part of an HL7 CDA object, or the XMP metadata of a PDF object. This mechanism allows a DICOM-aware system to extract data without needing to parse or understand what is encapsulated.
There is no expectation that all of the narrative or visually rendered content in the encapsulated document be replicated in a structured form in the Content Sequence (0040,A730), nor is it expected that all of the information in the Content Sequence (0040,A730) be present in the encapsulated document. E.g., the structured content might contain codes describing the encapsulated document, or the encapsulated document may contain observations that are not replicated in the structured content.
The use of the Content Sequence (0040,A730) follows the pattern established for Structured Reports, and each Item of the Sequence in the top level Data Set is a Content Item (see Section C.17.3.2 “Content Item Attributes”).
Each Item of the Sequence in the top level Data Set may, for instance, be a numeric measurement Content Item (see Section C.18.1 “Numeric Measurement Macro”). E.g.:
-
NUM (8821-1, LN, "Left Ventricular ED Volume") = 98 (mm3, UCUM, "mm3")
-
NUM (8808-8, LN, "Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction by Angiography") = 65 (%, UCUM, "Percent")
Alternatively, nested Content Items may be used in the manner of a typical Structured Report, and an appropriate Template from PS3.16 invoked (e.g., the TID 1500 Measurement Report Template), in which case the Concept Name Code Sequence (0040,A043) serves as Document Title and the name of the top level CONTAINER Content Item of the Structured Report, and such Content Items as measurements are nested within containers, may be related to regions of interest, given tracking identifiers, etc.