Code to Reproduce the Issue

Oct 13, 2025 by wbrum.org 144 views

Introduction

The C-FIND operation is a crucial part of the DICOM protocol, allowing applications to search for specific studies, series, or instances based on various criteria. However, when using the StudyDate attribute as a date range, the C-FIND operation fails due to a truncation issue in the dcmjs library. In this article, we will investigate this issue, provide a code example to reproduce the problem, and discuss the possible solutions.

Background

The dcmjs library is a popular JavaScript library for working with DICOM files and protocols. It provides a comprehensive set of tools for parsing, manipulating, and transmitting DICOM data. The C-FIND operation is a key feature of the library, allowing applications to search for specific studies, series, or instances based on various criteria.

The Issue

Starting from version v0.1.31, the StudyDate attribute is truncated when its value exceeds 8 characters. This truncation causes the C-FIND operation to fail when using a date range. For example, when specifying a date range like StudyDate: '20010101-20250301', only the start date (20010101) is retained, causing the range functionality to no longer work.

Code to Reproduce the Issue

The following code example demonstrates the issue:

const dcmjsDimse = require('dcmjs-dimse');
const { Client } = dcmjsDimse;
const { CFindRequest } = dcmjsDimse.requests;
const { Status } = dcmjsDimse.constants;

const client = new Client();
const request = CFindRequest.createStudyFindRequest({ StudyDate: '20010101-20250301' });
request.on('response', (response) => {
  if (response.getStatus() === Status.Pending && response.hasDataset()) {
    console.log(response.getDataset());
  }
});
client.addRequest(request);
client.on('networkError', (e) => {
  console.log('Network error: ', e);
});
client.send('127.0.0.1', 4242, 'SCU', 'ANY-SCP');

When running this code with dcmjs-dimse@0.1.31 or later, the output will show the truncation issue:

2025-03-12T11:20:19.574Z -- INFO -- Connecting to 127.0.0.1:4242 
2025-03-12T11:20:19.578Z -- INFO -- ANY-SCP -> Association request:
...
2025-03-12T11:20:19.579Z -- INFO -- ANY-SCP <- Association accept:
...
2025-03-12T11:20:19.579Z -- INFO -- Transcoding dataset from ImplicitVRLittleEndian (1.2.840.10008.1.2) to ExplicitVRLittleEndian (1.2.840.10008.1.2.1)...
2025-03-12T11:20:19.580Z -- INFO -- ANY-SCP -> C-FIND RQ [HasDataset: true] [id: 1] [pc: 1]
Truncating value 20010101-20250301 of StudyDate because it is longer than 8
2025-03-12T11:20:19.586Z -- INFO -- ANY-SCP <- C-FIND RSP [HasDataset: false] [id: 1; status: Success] [pc: 1]
...

Investigation

Upon investigation, the issue is caused by a change in the dcmjs library at ValueRepresentation#line-692. This change truncates the StudyDate attribute when its value exceeds 8 characters.

Possible Solutions

To resolve this issue, the following solutions can be considered:

Update to a previous version of dcmjs-dimse: If possible, update to a previous version of dcmjs-dimse that does not have the truncation issue.
Patch the dcmjs library: Patch the dcmjs library to remove the truncation issue. This may involve modifying the ValueRepresentation class to handle date ranges correctly.
Use a different date range format: Consider using a different date range format that does not exceed 8 characters. For example, using a format like StudyDate: '2001-01-01-2025-03-01' instead of StudyDate: '20010101-20250301'.

Conclusion

Q: What is the C-FIND operation?

A: The C-FIND operation is a crucial part of the DICOM protocol, allowing applications to search for specific studies, series, or instances based on various criteria.

Q: What is the issue with using StudyDate as a date range in C-FIND?

A: When using the StudyDate attribute as a date range, the C-FIND operation fails due to a truncation issue in the dcmjs library. This issue is caused by a change in the dcmjs library at ValueRepresentation#line-692.

Q: What is the impact of this issue?

A: The impact of this issue is that the C-FIND operation will fail when using a date range for the StudyDate attribute. This means that applications will not be able to search for studies, series, or instances based on a specific date range.

Q: How can I reproduce this issue?

A: To reproduce this issue, you can use the following code example:

const dcmjsDimse = require('dcmjs-dimse');
const { Client } = dcmjsDimse;
const { CFindRequest } = dcmjsDimse.requests;
const { Status } = dcmjsDimse.constants;

const client = new Client();
const request = CFindRequest.createStudyFindRequest({ StudyDate: '20010101-20250301' });
request.on('response', (response) => {
  if (response.getStatus() === Status.Pending && response.hasDataset()) {
    console.log(response.getDataset());
  }
});
client.addRequest(request);
client.on('networkError', (e) => {
  console.log('Network error: ', e);
});
client.send('127.0.0.1', 4242, 'SCU', 'ANY-SCP');

Q: What are the possible solutions to this issue?

A: There are several possible solutions to this issue:

Update to a previous version of dcmjs-dimse: If possible, update to a previous version of dcmjs-dimse that does not have the truncation issue.
Patch the dcmjs library: Patch the dcmjs library to remove the truncation issue. This may involve modifying the ValueRepresentation class to handle date ranges correctly.
Use a different date range format: Consider using a different date range format that does not exceed 8 characters. For example, using a format like StudyDate: '2001-01-01-2025-03-01' instead of StudyDate: '20010101-20250301'.

Q: What is the recommended course of action?

A: The recommended course of action is to update to a previous version of dcmjs-dimse or patch the dcmjs library to remove the truncation issue. If this is not possible, consider using a different date range format.

Q: Where can I find more information about this issue?

A: You can find more information about this issue on the dcmjs repository at ValueRepresentation#line-692.