Anonymize DICOM files, remove burned-in annotations

The program has the ability to remove confidential data from the header of DICOM files, and burned-in annotations of their images. The user can anonymize a single file, a study (multiple single-frame files which belong to the same examination) or all files within a folder ant its sub-folder (batch anonymization).

• Adjust anonymization options
• Anonymize a single DICOM file
• Anonymize DICOM studies
• Anonymize many DICOM files within a folder
• Use a template to anonymize many DICOM files

From menu select "OptionsAnonymizing Options". The dialog box below will be appeared, and allows you to select the specific fields which will be removed from the file?s header.

OK button: Accepts the user selection, and closes this dialog box.
Cancel button: Cancels the selection, and closes this dialog box.
Help button: Displays this help topic.
Check all button: Press this button to select all fields for removing.
Uncheck all button: Press this button to deselect all fields from removing.
Show attention message when critical fields have not been removed because of this setup:
Enable this option to allow the program to generate a warning message, when you attempt an anonymizing and there are critical fields which remain on file?s header, because of this setup.
Show attention message when burned-in annotation flag (0x0028,0x0301) is set:
Enable this option to allow the program to generate a warning message, when the file?s header indicates that there are burned-in annotations on the images, because in this case the header anonymizing is not enough to protect patient information.
Remove all private "PN" tags: Enable this option to allow the program to remove all "PN" tags from the header, either they are nested inside sequences, or they are tags which belong to machine vendor.

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• First of all adjust anonymization options.
• From menu select "FileOpen Open File", and select the desired file.
• From menu select "EditAnonymize Header". Now the header does not contain confidential data any more.
• If your file contains burned-in annotations and you want to remove them, from menu select "ToolsSelectionRectangle". Select the area which contains the burned-in annotation and press the <DELETE> key of keyboard. The selected area will be filled with the background color.    
• Note 1: If your file contains more than one frames, before the area selection, enable the option "Apply To All" (for this select from menu "EditApply To All"). This option allows you to delete burned-in annotations in all frames simultaneously.
• Note 2: To select a different background color, press the "BG" (background) button of the toolbox.
• From menu select "EditReview Header Modifications" to ensure that all critical data have been removed.
• 
• From menu select "FileSave" and save your file. The program adds a "copy of" prefix before the file's name, to avoid overwriting of the original file.

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• First of all adjust anonymization options.
• From menu select "FileOpen Open Study", and select the desired study.
• From menu select "EditAnonymize Header". Now the header does not contain confidential data any more.
• If your file contains burned-in annotations and you want to remove them, from menu select "ToolsSelectionRectangle". Select the area which contains the burned-in annotation and press the <DELETE> key of keyboard. The selected area will be filled with the background color.
• Note 1: If your study contains more than one frames, before the area selection, enable the option "Apply To All" (for this select from menu "EditApply To All"). This option allows you to delete burned-in annotations in all frames simultaneously.
• Note 2: To select a different background color, press the "BG" (background) button of the toolbox.
• From menu select "EditReview Header Modifications" to ensure that all critical data have been removed.
• From menu select "FileSave All Study Files" and save your files. Warning: The program will replace the original files of the study, so be sure that you work with copies of your original files.

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First of all adjust anonymization options. Then, select "FileBatchAnonymize", from program's menu. Use this command to batch remove patient information from DICOM files within a folder and its subfolders, and to remove burned-in annotations. The filenames of the new files are the same with the old ones with an "_anon" suffix, to avoid overwriting of the original files. If you want to collect the anonymized files, search within the folder for files with "_anon" as part of their names (e.g. "*_anon*"), and use a utility like winzip or winrar to compress the files. In these utilities enable the "Keep directory structure" option, to avoid overwriting files with the same name in different location. After that, extract your zip to a new location, and delete the old "_anon" files from the file explorer's search window.

• Browse button: Use this button to select the directory, which contains the DICOM files.
• Include Subdirectories checkbox: Enable this option to force the program to anonymize also the header of the files within the sub-directories of the selected folder.
• Overwrite prompt checkbox: Enable this option to force the program to generate a warning prompt, when it attempts to overwrite an existing file.
• Create DICOMIR checkbox: Enable this option to force the program to generate a DICOMDIR file for the anonymized files. The old files are not included in the DICOMDIR file. If already there is a DICOMIDIR file within the folder it will be renamed to ?DICOMDIR.old?.
• Anonymize button: Press this button to start the procedure.
• Close button: Closes this dialog box.
• Help button: Displays this help topic.
• Options button: Allows the user to select the specific fields which will be removed from the file?s header.
• Rectangles button: Allows the user to set up to four rectangles which will be filled with the background color, in order to remove burned-in annotations, from all frames of the file. The program automatically selects the color of the upper-left pixel of each rectangle as the background color for this rectangle.

• x1, y1: Specify the upper left corner of each rectangle. x2, y2: Specify the down-right corner of each rectangle. Clear button: Clears the x1,y1,x2,y2 values. Save button: Saves the rectangles to registry. Load button: Loads the previously saved rectangles from the registry.

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Many times the users want to anonymize attributes, which are not covered from Supplement 55. Other times the users want to anonymize fields with use of specific terms like "anonymized", because e.g. many Pacs systems do not allow blank field in patient's name. For these reasons the program has a mechanism, which allows the users to describe these extra attributes and any other attribute which must have a special value. This mechanism is the anonymizing template. The anonymizing template, is actually a simple file in form of DICOM header, which contains DICOM attributes (fields/tags) with or without their values. In this template the users can add additional tags from those of Supplement 55, and also can add in these tags, values like "anonymized".

• Read the topic create a new anonymizing template, to learn how you can create a new template.
• Read the topic create the default anonymizing template, to learn how you can create a new template, which contains the attributes of Supplement 55.
• Read the topic create an anonymizing template from active file, to learn how you can create a new template, which contains the attributes of active file?s header.
• Read the topic edit an anonymizing template, to learn how you can modify an existing template.
• Read the topic remove an anonymizing template, to learn how you can delete an existing template.

First of all adjust anonymization options. Then, select "FileBatchAnonymize From Template", from program's menu.
Use this command to batch remove patient information from DICOM files within a folder and its subfolders, and to remove burned-in annotations. The filenames of the new files are the same with the old ones with an "_anon" suffix, to avoid overwriting of the original files. If you want to collect the anonymized files, search within the folder for files with "_anon" as part of their names (e.g. "*_anon*"), and use a utility like winzip or winrar to compress the files. In these utilities enable the "Keep directory structure" option, to avoid overwriting files with the same name in different location. After that, extract your zip to a new location, and delete the old "_anon" files from the file explorer's search window.

• Browse button: Use this button to select the directory, which contains the DICOM files.
• Select button: Use this button to select the anonymizing template.
  
• Include Subdirectories checkbox: Enable this option to force the program to anonymize also the header of the files within the sub-directories of the selected folder.
• Overwrite prompt checkbox: Enable this option to force the program to generate a warning prompt, when it attempts to overwrite an existing file.
• Create DICOMIR checkbox: Enable this option to force the program to generate a DICOMDIR file for the anonymized files. The old files are not included in the DICOMDIR file. If already there is a DICOMIDIR file within the folder it will be renamed to ?DICOMDIR.old?.
• Anonymize button: Press this button to start the procedure.
• Close button: Closes this dialog box.
• Help button: Displays this help topic.
• Options button: Allows the user to select the specific fields which will be removed from the file?s header.
• Rectangles button: Allows the user to set up to four rectangles which will be filled with the background color, in order to remove burned-in annotations, from all frames of the file. The program automatically selects the color of the upper-left pixel of each rectangle as the background color for this rectangle.

• x1, y1: Specify the upper left corner of each rectangle. x2, y2: Specify the down-right corner of each rectangle. Clear button: Clears the x1,y1,x2,y2 values. Save button: Saves the rectangles to registry. Load button: Loads the previously saved rectangles from the registry.

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From menu, use the command "EditAnonymizing TemplatesCreate New". This command allows you to to create a new anonymizing template. A dialog box is appeared and allows you to insert, remove, or modify DICOM attributes and if it is desired, their values.

On the top of the dialog there is the Content tab control that allows you to select the group of information you want to see (all, patient information, study information, physician information or image details).

• To modify a field: Select the field's row from the field list and press the Edit Tag button to modify the field. You can also double click on field?s row. The proper dialog box appears that allows you to input the value of the field.
• To delete the value of a field: Select the field's row from the field list and press the Delete Value button to delete the field?s value. You can select more than one field by pressing and holding down the <Control> or <Shift> keys of the keyboard.
• To delete a field: Select the field's row from the field list and press the Delete Tag button to delete the field. You can select more than one field by pressing and holding down the <Control> or <Shift> keys of the keyboard.
• To insert a new field: Press the Insert Tag button and insert a new field. You can type the Tag's Group and Element or you can select them from a list. After insertion the proper dialog box appears, and it allows you to input the value of the new field.
• To insert or modify a sequence (Value Representation = SQ): The program allows you to process a sequence as any other type of field. When you insert or select for editing a sequence the proper dialog box is appeared, and allows you to edit the sequence.
• OK button: Accepts the header?s modifications, and closes this dialog box.
• Cancel button: Closes this dialog box without recording any changes.
• Help button: Displays a help topic.

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From menu, use the command "EditAnonymizing TemplatesCreate Default". This command allows you to create a new anonymizing template, from Supplement 55. A dialog box is appeared and allows you to insert, remove, or modify DICOM attributes and if it is desired, their values.

On the top of the dialog there is the Content tab control that allows you to select the group of information you want to see (all, patient information, study information, physician information or image details).

• To modify a field: Select the field's row from the field list and press the Edit Tag button to modify the field. You can also double click on field?s row. The proper dialog box appears that allows you to input the value of the field.
• To delete the value of a field: Select the field's row from the field list and press the Delete Value button to delete the field?s value. You can select more than one field by pressing and holding down the <Control> or <Shift> keys of the keyboard.
• To delete a field: Select the field's row from the field list and press the Delete Tag button to delete the field. You can select more than one field by pressing and holding down the <Control> or <Shift> keys of the keyboard.
• To insert a new field: Press the Insert Tag button and insert a new field. You can type the Tag's Group and Element or you can select them from a list. After insertion the proper dialog box appears, and it allows you to input the value of the new field.
• To insert or modify a sequence (Value Representation = SQ): The program allows you to process a sequence as any other type of field. When you insert or select for editing a sequence the proper dialog box is appeared, and allows you to edit the sequence.
• OK button: Accepts the header?s modifications, and closes this dialog box.
• Cancel button: Closes this dialog box without recording any changes.
• Help button: Displays a help topic.

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From menu, use the command EditAnonymizing TemplatesCreate From Active File.This command allows you to to create a new anonymizing template, from active file's header. A dialog box is appeared and allows you to insert, remove, or modify DICOM attributes and if it is desired, their values.

On the top of the dialog there is the Content tab control that allows you to select the group of information you want to see (all, patient information, study information, physician information or image details).

• To modify a field: Select the field's row from the field list and press the Edit Tag button to modify the field. You can also double click on field's row. The proper dialog box appears that allows you to input the value of the field.
• To delete the value of a field: Select the field's row from the field list and press the Delete Value button to delete the field?s value. You can select more than one field by pressing and holding down the <Control> or <Shift> keys of the keyboard.
• To delete a field: Select the field's row from the field list and press the Delete Tag button to delete the field. You can select more than one field by pressing and holding down the <Control> or <Shift> keys of the keyboard.
• To insert a new field: Press the Insert Tag button and insert a new field. You can type the Tag's Group and Element or you can select them from a list. After insertion the proper dialog box appears, and it allows you to input the value of the new field.
• To insert or modify a sequence (Value Representation = SQ): The program allows you to process a sequence as any other type of field. When you insert or select for editing a sequence the proper dialog box is appeared, and allows you to edit the sequence.
• OK button: Accepts the header?s modifications, and closes this dialog box.
• Cancel button: Closes this dialog box without recording any changes.
• Help button: Displays a help topic.

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From menu, use the command "EditAnonymizing TemplatesEdit Template". This command allows you to edit an existing anonymizing template. A dialog box is appeared and allows you to insert/modify/remove DICOM attributes and if it is desired, their values.

On the top of the dialog there is the Content tab control that allows you to select the group of information you want to see (all, patient information, study information, physician information or image details).

• To modify a field: Select the field's row from the field list and press the Edit Tag button to modify the field. You can also double click on field's row. The proper dialog box appears that allows you to input the value of the field.
• To delete the value of a field: Select the field's row from the field list and press the Delete Value button to delete the field?s value. You can select more than one field by pressing and holding down the <Control> or <Shift> keys of the keyboard.
• To delete a field: Select the field's row from the field list and press the Delete Tag button to delete the field. You can select more than one field by pressing and holding down the <Control> or <Shift> keys of the keyboard.
• To insert a new field: Press the Insert Tag button and insert a new field. You can type the Tag's Group and Element or you can select them from a list. After insertion the proper dialog box appears, and it allows you to input the value of the new field.
• To insert or modify a sequence (Value Representation = SQ): The program allows you to process a sequence as any other type of field. When you insert or select for editing a sequence the proper dialog box is appeared, and allows you to edit the sequence.
• OK button: Accepts the header?s modifications, and closes this dialog box.
• Cancel button: Closes this dialog box without recording any changes.
• Help button: Displays a help topic.

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From menu, use the command "EditAnonymizing TemplatesRemove Template". This command allows you to remove from hard disk, out of use anonymizing templates.

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