DICOM Attribute

Value Type (0040,A040)

Keyword
ValueType
VR
CS
VM
1

Definition

The type of the value encoded in this Content Item. Required if Content Sequence (0040,A730) is present. Enumerated Values: CONTAINER

From NEMA PS3.3 §C.24.2.

Attribute Metadata

Tag
(0040,A040)
Keyword
ValueType
Name
Value Type
Value Representation (VR)
CS
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 CS with multiplicity 1.

Used in 1 Module

This attribute uses the CS 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

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

  • CONTAINER reportsi.dcm

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

Mirth Connect Example

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

Common Operational Errors

  • medium Structured Report ValueType encoded inconsistently across vendors

    Diagnosis: DICOM SR requires (0040,A040) ValueType as one of CODE, TEXT, NUM, PNAME, UIDREF, DATETIME, DATE, TIME, CONTAINER, IMAGE, COMPOSITE, SCOORD, SCOORD3D, TCOORD, WAVEFORM. Some vendors emit lowercase, extra whitespace, or non-standard types like 'STRING' — downstream SR parsers reject.

    Fix: Validate ValueType against the defined-term enum at ingress. Uppercase + trim whitespace. Reject non-defined terms with explicit error; common deviations (e.g., 'STRING' → 'TEXT') can be rewritten by policy if the site accepts the risk.

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 ValueType or the broader (0040,A040) context: