DICOM Attribute

Patient's Size (0010,1020)

Keyword
PatientSize
VR
DS
VM
1

Definition

Length or size of the Patient, in meters.

From NEMA PS3.3 §C.7.2.2.

Attribute Metadata

Tag
(0010,1020)
Keyword
PatientSize
Name
Patient's Size
Value Representation (VR)
DS
Value Multiplicity (VM)
1
Status
Active
Source
NEMA PS3.6 (table_6-1)

This attribute is part of the current DICOM Standard. Its value representation is DS with multiplicity 1.

Used in 1 Module

This attribute uses the DS Value Representation. Multiplicity 1 governs how many values may be encoded.

Integration Notes

Real-world integration guidance for engineers implementing this attribute in Mirth Connect, FHIR gateways, HL7 v2 bridges, and cloud DICOM services. Authoritative source data where available; reference examples and operational notes where they add value.

FHIR Mapping

No direct FHIR ImagingStudy mapping published for this attribute. Some tags map indirectly via the Patient, Endpoint, or ImagingSelection resources — Phase 2b will expand coverage to those.

HL7 v2 Equivalent

  • OBX (PATIENT HEIGHT loinc) Patient Height observation site-dependent
    ORUADT

    HL7 v2 conveys patient height as OBX with LOINC 8302-2. DICOM PatientSize is DS in meters. Unit conversion (in/cm/m) may be required.

    Source: common convention

Verify against IHE Radiology TF Vol 2 and your facility's interface specification before production use.

Cloud DICOM Support

  • AWS HealthImaging Preserved
  • Azure DICOM Preserved
  • Google Cloud Healthcare Preserved

Patient Size (height in m) — preserved by all three. Required for some dose calculations.

Per-vendor source URLs and verification date in src/content/dicom/cloud-support.json#_meta. Status taxonomy: required (mandated on Store), queryable (QIDO-RS matching key), preserved (stored as-is), promoted (AWS top-level metadata), unsupported (stripped/rejected).

Real-World Sample Values

No representative sample value available — this attribute isn't present in the de-identified pydicom fixture set. Add a fixture covering this attribute to expand coverage.

Mirth Connect Example

JavaScript transformer snippets for the most-queried tags will be added as coverage expands.

Common Operational Errors

Operational error patterns for the most-queried tags will be added as coverage expands.

DICOM Integration Services

Saga IT builds production DICOM integrations across Mirth Connect, FHIR gateways, and cloud imaging platforms. If you're working with PatientSize or the broader (0010,1020) context: