Applicability of ATM to distributed PACS environment

Future medical centers will consist of multiple picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) serving local needs of different specialty sections and departments. This distribution of medical image archives will require high performance broadband networks to ensure effective communication and reliable services. One major stumbling block to this distributed PACS environment is the lack of an appropriate networking technology to integrate individual systems and their services seamlessly. Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) provides a promising solution to this infrastructure problem. ATM is defined as cell-based switching and multiplexing technology designed to be a generalpurpose, connection-oriented transfer mode for a wide range of services. This work investigates the suitability of this new technology for distributed medical PACS applications and discusses the user needs and operational issues accompanying the ATM deployment. It also presents with the design and preliminary throughput results of an ATM based hospital-integrated PACS at the University of California, San Francisco.