Overview
This node processes DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) files, which are standard formats for medical imaging data. The "Anonymize" operation specifically removes or replaces patient-identifiable information from DICOM files to protect patient privacy. This is essential when sharing medical images for research, teaching, or external consultations without exposing sensitive personal data.
Common scenarios include:
- Preparing DICOM files for publication or presentation by removing direct identifiers.
- Complying with privacy regulations such as HIPAA by fully anonymizing all potential identifying information.
- Applying custom anonymization rules tailored to specific institutional policies or research needs.
For example, a hospital might use this node to automatically anonymize CT scan files before sending them to an external research partner.
Properties
| Name | Meaning |
|---|---|
| File Property Name | Name of the binary property containing the DICOM file to process (default: "data"). |
| Anonymization Profile | Preset anonymization level to apply: • Basic — Remove direct identifiers only • Full — Remove all potential identifying information • Custom — Use user-defined tag modification rules |
| Custom Tag Rules | When using the Custom profile, defines specific rules for individual DICOM tags: • Tag — DICOM tag to modify (format: group,element) • Action — What to do with the tag: Remove, Replace, or Keep • Replace Value — Value to replace the tag with (if action is Replace) |
Output
The output contains:
A JSON object with:
success: Boolean indicating if anonymization succeeded.profile: The anonymization profile used ("basic", "full", or "custom").sourceFile: The name of the input binary property processed.
A binary field named
anonymizedcontaining the anonymized DICOM file data. This binary data represents the modified DICOM file with patient-identifiable information removed or replaced according to the selected profile or custom rules.
Dependencies
- Requires access to the input DICOM file as binary data within the specified binary property.
- Uses internal asynchronous functions to perform anonymization logic (not detailed here).
- No explicit external API keys or services are required based on the provided code.
Troubleshooting
- Missing Binary Data: If the specified binary property does not exist on the input item, the node will throw an error stating that no binary data property exists. Ensure the correct binary property name is set.
- Invalid Custom Rules: When using the Custom anonymization profile, improperly formatted tag rules (e.g., incorrect tag format or missing replace values) may cause unexpected results or errors.
- Large Files: Processing very large DICOM files may impact performance or memory usage.
- Error Handling: If an error occurs during processing, and "Continue On Fail" is enabled, the node outputs an error message in the JSON field instead of stopping execution.