DICOM PS3.3 2021c - Information Object Definitions

C.17.3.2 Content Item Attributes (Current)
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#### C.17.3.2 Content Item Attributes

Each Content Item contains:

- name/value pair, consisting of

- a single Concept Name Code Sequence (0040,A043) that is the name of a name/value pair or a heading,

- a value (text, codes, etc.),

- references to images, waveforms or other composite objects, with or without coordinates,

- relationships to other Items, either

- by-value through nested Content Sequences, or

- by-reference.

##### C.17.3.2.1 Content Item Value Type

The value of the name/value pair is encoded with one of the Value Types defined in Table C.17.3-7 (the choice of which may be constrained by the IOD in which this Module is contained). Value Type (0040,A040) explicitly conveys the type of Content Item value encoding.

Table C.17.3-7. Value Type Definitions

Value Type | Concept Name | Concept Value | Description
--- | --- | --- | ---
TEXT | Type of text, e.g., "Findings", or name of identifier, e.g., "Lesion ID" | Textual expression of the concept | Free text, narrative description of unlimited length. May also be used to provide a label or identifier value.
NUM | Type of numeric value or measurement, e.g., "BPD" | Numeric value and associated Unit of Measurement | Numeric value fully qualified by coded representation of the measurement name and unit of measurement.
CODE | Type of code, e.g., "Findings" | Coded expression of the concept | Categorical coded value. Representation of nominal or non-numeric ordinal values.
DATETIME | Type of DateTime, e.g., "Date/Time of onset" | Concatenated date and time | Date and time of occurrence of the type of event denoted by the Concept Name.
DATE | Type of Date, e.g., "Birth Date" | Calendar date | Date of occurrence of the type of event denoted by the Concept Name.
TIME | Type of Time, e.g "Start Time" | Time of day | Time of occurrence of the type of event denoted by the Concept Name.
UIDREF | Type of UID, e.g "Study Instance UID" | Unique Identifier | Unique Identifier (UID) of the entity identified by the Concept Name.
PNAME | Role of person, e.g., "Recording Observer" | Name of person | Person name of the person whose role is described by the Concept Name.
COMPOSITE | Purpose of Reference | Reference to UIDs of Composite SOP Instances | A reference to one Composite SOP Instance that is not an Image or Waveform.
IMAGE | Purpose of Reference | Reference to UIDs of Image Composite SOP Instances | A reference to one Image. IMAGE Content Item may convey a reference to a Softcopy Presentation State associated with the Image.
WAVEFORM | Purpose of Reference | Reference to UIDs of Waveform Composite SOP Instances | A reference to one Waveform.
SCOORD | Purpose of Reference | Listing of spatial coordinates | Spatial coordinates of a geometric region of interest in the DICOM image coordinate system. The IMAGE Content Item from which spatial coordinates are selected is denoted by a SELECTED FROM relationship.
SCOORD3D | Purpose of reference | Listing of spatial 3D coordinates | 3D spatial coordinates (x,y,z) of a geometric region of interest in a Reference Coordinate System.
TCOORD | Purpose of Reference | Listing of temporal coordinates | Temporal Coordinates (i.e., time or event-based coordinates) of a region of interest in the DICOM waveform coordinate system. The WAVEFORM or IMAGE or SCOORD Content Item from which Temporal Coordinates are selected is denoted by a SELECTED FROM relationship.
CONTAINER | Document Title or document section heading. Concept Name conveys the Document Title (if the CONTAINER is the Document Root Content Item) or the category of observation. | The content of the CONTAINER. The value of a CONTAINER Content Item is the collection of Content Items that it contains. | CONTAINER groups Content Items and defines the heading or category of observation that applies to that content. The heading describes the content of the CONTAINER Content Item and may map to a document section heading in a printed or displayed document.
TABLE | Purpose of the tabulated data. | Two-dimensional tabulation of data. | Table of text, numeric or datetime values.

### Note

It is recommended that drawings and sketches, sometimes used in reports, be represented by IMAGE Content Items that reference separate SOP Instances (e.g., 8-bit, MONOCHROME2, Secondary Capture, or Multi-frame Single Bit Secondary Capture).

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DICOM PS3.3 2021c - Information Object Definitions