DICOM Structure Comparison System

A Django-based web application for comparing and evaluating RT structure sets with advanced DICOM visualization tools.

Features

• 📁 Patient Management - Browse and manage patient DICOM studies
• 🔍 DICOM Viewer - Advanced side-by-side CT and RTSTRUCT visualization
• 📊 Structure Comparison - Compare manual vs automatic RT structure sets
• 🎨 Interactive ROI Overlays - Toggle and visualize multiple ROI contours
• ⚙️ Window/Level Controls - Adjust CT image display with presets
• 🔄 Slice Navigation - Navigate through CT slices with keyboard shortcuts

Technology Stack

• Backend: Django 5.0+
• Frontend: HTML, CSS (TailwindCSS), Vanilla JavaScript
• DICOM Processing: pydicom, NumPy
• Database: SQLite (development), PostgreSQL (production ready)

Installation

Prerequisites

• Python 3.10 or higher
• pip (Python package manager)

Setup

1. Clone the repository:

git clone <repository-url>
cd Structure-Comparision

2. Create a virtual environment:

python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate

3. Install dependencies:

pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Run migrations:

python manage.py migrate

5. Create a superuser (for admin access):

python manage.py createsuperuser

6. Run the development server:

python manage.py runserver 8014

7. Access the application:

• Home: http://localhost:8014/
• Patient List: http://localhost:8014/patients/
• Admin Panel: http://localhost:8014/admin/

Importing DICOM Files

Method 1: Using the populate script (Recommended)

python populate_dicom_database.py /path/to/dicom/directory

Method 2: Using Django management command

python manage.py import_dicom_directory /path/to/dicom/directory

Expected Directory Structure

dicom/
├── patient_id_1/
│   ├── CT_slice_001.dcm
│   ├── CT_slice_002.dcm
│   ├── ...
│   ├── RTSTRUCT_manual.dcm
│   └── RTSTRUCT_auto.dcm
└── patient_id_2/
    └── ...

Project Structure

Structure-Comparision/
├── rtstructcompare/          # Main Django app
│   ├── models.py            # Database models
│   ├── views.py             # View functions (cleaned)
│   ├── urls.py              # URL routing
│   ├── admin.py             # Admin configuration
│   └── management/          # Custom management commands
├── templates/               # HTML templates
│   ├── base.html           # Base template
│   ├── home.html           # Landing page
│   ├── patients.html       # Patient list
│   └── dicom_web_viewer.html  # DICOM viewer
├── static/                  # Static files (CSS, JS, images)
├── dicom/                   # DICOM files directory (gitignored)
├── populate_dicom_database.py  # DICOM import script
├── requirements.txt         # Python dependencies
└── manage.py               # Django management script

Database Models

Patient

• patient_id - Unique patient identifier
• patient_name - Patient name
• patient_birth_date - Date of birth
• patient_sex - Gender

DICOMStudy

• Links to Patient
• study_instance_uid - Unique study identifier
• study_date - Study date
• study_description - Study description

DICOMSeries

• Links to DICOMStudy
• series_instance_uid - Unique series identifier
• modality - CT, RTSTRUCT, etc.
• series_description - Series description
• series_root_path - Path to DICOM files

DICOMInstance

• Links to DICOMSeries
• sop_instance_uid - Unique instance identifier
• instance_number - Instance number
• instance_path - Full path to DICOM file

Usage

Viewing Patients

1. Navigate to http://localhost:8014/patients/
2. Browse the list of imported patients
3. Click "Compare Studies" to open the DICOM viewer

DICOM Viewer Controls

Navigation:

• Previous/Next buttons - Navigate between slices
• Slice slider - Jump to specific slice
• Arrow Up/Down keys - Navigate slices

Window/Level:

• Soft Tissue - W:400, L:40
• Lung - W:1500, L:-600
• Bone - W:2000, L:300
• Brain - W:80, L:40
• Liver - W:150, L:60
• Custom - Manual adjustment

ROI Overlays:

• Select individual ROIs from the list
• Select All / Clear All buttons
• Common structures shown between both RTSTRUCT files

Development

Running Tests

python manage.py test

Checking for Issues

python manage.py check

Creating Migrations

python manage.py makemigrations
python manage.py migrate

Configuration

Settings

Key settings in rtstructcompare/settings.py:

• DEBUG - Set to False in production
• ALLOWED_HOSTS - Add your domain in production
• DATABASES - Configure PostgreSQL for production
• STATIC_ROOT - Set for production static files

Environment Variables

Create a .env file for sensitive settings:

SECRET_KEY=your-secret-key-here
DEBUG=False
ALLOWED_HOSTS=yourdomain.com,www.yourdomain.com
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://user:password@localhost/dbname

Deployment

Production Checklist

• Set DEBUG = False
• Configure ALLOWED_HOSTS
• Use PostgreSQL database
• Set up static file serving
• Configure HTTPS
• Set strong SECRET_KEY
• Enable CSRF protection
• Configure logging
• Set up backups

Static Files

python manage.py collectstatic

Troubleshooting

DICOM Import Issues

Problem: Files not importing

• Check file permissions
• Verify DICOM file format
• Check console output for errors

Problem: Missing RTSTRUCT files

• Ensure at least 2 RTSTRUCT files per patient
• Check modality field in DICOM files

Viewer Issues

Problem: Blank/black canvases

• Check browser console for JavaScript errors
• Verify CT and RTSTRUCT data loaded correctly
• Check that pixel data exists in DICOM files

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Test thoroughly
5. Submit a pull request

License

[Add your license here]

Support

For issues and questions:

• Create an issue on GitHub
• Contact: [your-email@example.com]

Acknowledgments

• Built with Django
• DICOM processing powered by pydicom
• UI components using TailwindCSS

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Version: 1.0.0
Last Updated: January 2026