DICOM Attribute

Window Center (0028,1050)

Keyword
WindowCenter
VR
DS
VM
1-n

Definition

Defines a Window Center for display. See for further explanation. Required if Presentation Intent Type (0008,0068) is FOR PRESENTATION and VOI LUT Sequence (0028,3010) is not present. May also be present if VOI LUT Sequence (0028,3010) is present.

From NEMA PS3.3 §C.8.11.3.

Attribute Metadata

Tag
(0028,1050)
Keyword
WindowCenter
Name
Window Center
Value Representation (VR)
DS
Value Multiplicity (VM)
1-n
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-n.

Used in 5 Modules

This attribute uses the DS Value Representation. Multiplicity 1-n 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 Preserved
  • Azure DICOM Preserved
  • Google Cloud Healthcare Preserved

Window Center — preserved by all three. Multi-valued for multiple presentation windows.

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

  • 600 MR_small.dcm
  • 40 693_J2KI.dcm

Extracted from pydicom test fixtures (MIT, de-identified).

Mirth Connect Example

WindowCenter / WindowWidth — multi-value pair for radiology presets — WindowCenter and WindowWidth are paired; both can carry multiple values (e

WindowCenter and WindowWidth are paired; both can carry multiple values (e.g., '40\400\-50\1000' for brain + bone windows). Extract the first pair as the default preset.

// (0028,1050) Window Center + (0028,1051) Window Width — DS, backslash-separated pairs
var wc = String(msg.dataset.attr.(@tag == '00281050').value).split('\\');
var ww = String(msg.dataset.attr.(@tag == '00281051').value).split('\\');
if (wc.length === 0 || ww.length === 0) return; // skip if unset
var n = Math.min(wc.length, ww.length);
var presets = [];
for (var i = 0; i < n; i++) {
  var c = parseFloat(wc[i]);
  var w = parseFloat(ww[i]);
  if (!isNaN(c) && !isNaN(w)) presets.push({ center: c, width: w });
}
if (presets.length === 0) return;
channelMap.put('default_window_center', presets[0].center);
channelMap.put('default_window_width', presets[0].width);
if (presets.length > 1) channelMap.put('window_preset_count', presets.length);

Reference only — validate before production. Snippets are starting points, not turnkey solutions. Always test against your channel's specific message structure and your facility's interface specification. See Mirth Connect User Guide + NEMA PS3.6 + your vendor conformance statement for authoritative specification.

Common Operational Errors

  • medium Multi-value WindowCenter parsed as single value

    Diagnosis: Modality emits multi-valued WindowCenter '40\\400\\-50' for brain/bone/lung presets. Viewer or Mirth transformer naively calls parseFloat() on the whole string, gets NaN, falls back to default window center (0) — images display as nearly-black or saturated.

    Fix: Always split WindowCenter / WindowWidth on backslash before parseFloat. Read both into arrays and pick the first preset for default rendering. Use subsequent presets to populate preset buttons in custom viewers.

Reference only — validate before applying a fix. Scenarios are drawn from common DICOM/HL7 v2 integration patterns; reproduce against your environment before acting on any diagnosis. See NEMA PS3.6 + your vendor conformance statement for authoritative specification. Severity levels: high (data-loss / patient-safety), medium (workflow disruption), low (cosmetic).

DICOM Integration Services

Saga IT builds production DICOM integrations across Mirth Connect, FHIR gateways, and cloud imaging platforms. If you're working with WindowCenter or the broader (0028,1050) context: