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In medical imaging, Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS) are computers or networks dedicated to the storage, retrieval, distribution, and presentation of images. The medical images are stored in an independent format, and the most common format for image storage is DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine).
Most PACS handle images from various medical imaging instruments, including ultrasound, magnetic resonance, PET, computed tomography, endoscopy, mammograms, etc.
Typically a PACS network consists of a central server that stores a database of images, which is connected to one or more clients via a LAN or WAN. Some PACS systems may also include web-based interfaces to utilize the Internet as their means of communication, usually via VPN or SSL.
More and more PACS include web-based interfaces to utilize the Internet as their means of communication, usually via VPN (Virtual Private Network) or SSL (Secure Sockets Layer).