DICOM Attribute

Pixel Aspect Ratio (0028,0034)

Keyword
PixelAspectRatio
VR
IS
VM
2

Definition

Ratio of the vertical size and horizontal size of the pixels in the image specified by a pair of integer Values where the first Value refers to the vertical extent of a pixel, and the second Value refers to the horizontal extent of a pixel. Required if the aspect ratio values do not have a ratio of 1:1 and the physical pixel spacing is not specified by Pixel Spacing (0028,0030), or Imager Pixel Spacing (0018,1164) or Nominal Scanned Pixel Spacing (0018,2010), either for the entire Image or per-frame in a Functional Group Macro. See .

From NEMA PS3.3 §C.7.6.24.

Attribute Metadata

Tag
(0028,0034)
Keyword
PixelAspectRatio
Name
Pixel Aspect Ratio
Value Representation (VR)
IS
Value Multiplicity (VM)
2
Status
Active
Source
NEMA PS3.6 (table_6-1)

This attribute is part of the current DICOM Standard. Its value representation is IS with multiplicity 2.

Used in 4 Modules

This attribute uses the IS Value Representation. Multiplicity 2 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

No standard HL7 v2 equivalent published for this attribute. Imaging-only attributes (Image Pixel data, technical acquisition parameters, modality-specific values) typically have no HL7 v2 carrier.

Cloud DICOM Support

AWS HealthImaging, Azure DICOM, and GCP Healthcare DICOM coverage rolls out by attribute. The QIDO-RS matching keys + Patient/Study/Series core (~50 attributes) are documented; lower-traffic attributes will be added as Saga teams encounter them in production.

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 PixelAspectRatio or the broader (0028,0034) context: