On this page
Asset Type
Manufacturer
Model
What This Guide Helps With
Troubleshooting PET/CT DICOM send, archive, RIS/PACS, worklist, and network communication failures using safe external checks before escalation.
Step-by-Step Troubleshooting
Ensure Patient Safety First
Confirm whether a patient exam is actively in progress.
Do not interrupt an active PET/CT acquisition, reconstruction, or patient transfer unless directed by clinical leadership or imaging staff.
Expected outcome: Patient imaging is not disrupted by network troubleshooting.
Confirm the Exact Communication Problem
Ask the technologist what failed and when it occurred.
Identify whether the issue involves:
- DICOM send failure
- Images stuck in queue
- PACS archive unavailable
- RIS worklist not populating
- Study mismatch or accession issue
- PET, CT, or fused image series not transferring
- Workstation cannot reach archive
- Network login or host communication error
Expected outcome: The failure mode is clearly defined before troubleshooting begins.
Verify Whether the Issue Affects One Study or All Studies
Check if only one patient/study failed to send or if all studies are failing.
A single failed study may indicate demographics, accession, study status, or image series issue.
Multiple failed studies may indicate network, destination, AE title, archive, or workstation communication failure.
Expected outcome: The scope of the problem is identified.
Check for Obvious Workstation or Console Messages
Review the acquisition workstation, reconstruction workstation, and send/archive queue for error messages.
Look for messages involving destination unavailable, association rejected, timeout, invalid AE title, network unreachable, or storage commitment failure.
Expected outcome: The visible error helps narrow the fault before deeper checks.
Confirm the Correct Destination Was Selected
Verify that the technologist selected the correct PACS, archive, MIM, syngo.via, nuclear medicine workstation, or destination node.
Confirm whether the failed send was manual, automatic, or part of a routing rule.
Expected outcome: The study is not being sent to the wrong destination.
If the study sends successfully after selecting the correct destination, document the issue and stop.
Check Whether Images Are Still Reconstructing
Confirm that PET, CT, attenuation correction, fused, MIP, or secondary capture series have completed reconstruction before sending.
Incomplete reconstruction may cause missing series or delayed transfer.
Expected outcome: The study is complete enough to transmit.
If the send completes after reconstruction finishes, document the delay and stop.
Verify Patient and Study Demographics
Compare the study information on the Biograph mCT workstation with RIS/PACS information.
Check:
- Patient name
- MRN
- Accession number
- Date of birth
- Study description
- Modality
- Exam date and time
Expected outcome: The study identifiers match the order and archive expectations.
If demographics are incorrect, involve imaging leadership, PACS support, or the appropriate correction workflow before resending.
Check RIS Worklist Availability
If the issue is worklist related, confirm whether new orders are visible on the PET/CT system.
Ask staff whether other modalities can retrieve worklist from RIS.
Expected outcome: You determine whether the issue is isolated to the PET/CT system or affects multiple imaging systems.
Confirm Network Connectivity at the Workstation Area
Check for obvious external network issues:
- Network cable connected
- Cable not damaged
- Wall jack not loose
- Link lights present where visible
- No recent cable moves or room work
- No disconnected network switch or patch cable near the console
Expected outcome: Basic physical network connectivity is confirmed.
If a loose or disconnected cable is found and reconnecting restores communication, test a send and document the resolution.
Check for Power or Hardware Issues at Related Network Equipment
If there is local network equipment in the room or console area, confirm it has power and does not show obvious fault indicators.
Do not reset hospital network switches without approval from IT or the site network team.
Expected outcome: No obvious local network equipment failure is found.
Confirm Other Network Functions
Check whether the workstation can perform other communication tasks, such as opening network resources, reaching connected imaging software, or sending to another approved destination.
Expected outcome: You determine whether the failure is destination-specific or system-wide.
Try Sending a Known Completed Study or Test Study if Site Policy Allows
Use a completed non-active study or approved test workflow to confirm whether DICOM send is functioning.
Do not create, alter, or send patient data outside approved site policy.
Expected outcome: The send either completes successfully or confirms an active communication fault.
Review the DICOM Queue
Check whether studies are pending, failed, paused, or repeatedly retrying.
A backed-up queue may delay new studies from sending.
Expected outcome: Queue status is understood before repeat sends are attempted.
If the queue is paused or blocked by one failed study, follow site procedure for clearing or reordering the queue.
Check for Storage Destination Availability
Ask PACS or imaging informatics whether the archive, router, or destination node is online.
A PET/CT system may appear faulty when the receiving archive or DICOM router is unavailable.
Expected outcome: Receiving-system availability is confirmed.
Confirm No Recent IT, PACS, or RIS Changes
Ask whether there were recent changes to:
- PACS server
- DICOM router
- RIS interface
- IP address
- AE title
- Network VLAN
- Firewall rule
- Workstation replacement
- Archive migration
Expected outcome: Recent infrastructure changes are identified as possible causes.
Check Date and Time Consistency
Confirm the Biograph mCT workstation date and time appear reasonable and match the site’s expected time zone.
Significant time mismatch may affect worklist, study matching, authentication, or archive acceptance.
Expected outcome: Date and time are not an obvious communication problem source.
Perform a Controlled Software Restart Only if Appropriate
If no patient is active, no reconstruction is running, and imaging staff agrees, perform the approved workstation or application restart process.
Do not power-cycle scanner hardware, gantry systems, or acquisition components during active clinical workflow unless directed by service or site policy.
Expected outcome: Temporary workstation communication faults may clear.
If communication restores after restart, perform a verified test send and document the action.
Escalate to IT, PACS, or Siemens Support Based on Findings
If the issue appears network-wide, involve IT.
If the issue involves routing, archive rejection, worklist, or study matching, involve PACS/RIS support.
If the Biograph mCT workstation, DICOM service, acquisition software, or scanner-side configuration appears faulty after external checks, escalate to Siemens service.
Expected outcome: The correct support path is engaged without unnecessary internal repair attempts.
If the Problem Persists
If power, workstation status, study completion, demographics, queue status, destination selection, and basic network connectivity have been checked, common external causes have been ruled out.
The issue may involve DICOM configuration, workstation software, network routing, PACS/RIS interface, archive rejection, or internal system communication.
The device or affected workflow should be:
- Removed from clinical use if images cannot be safely acquired, reviewed, archived, or associated with the correct patient record
- Labeled Out of Service if the system cannot support safe clinical operation
- Sent for repair, imaging informatics review, IT review, or Siemens service evaluation
Knowing when to stop is proper troubleshooting. PET/CT communication faults can create patient record, image availability, and treatment-planning risks if handled incorrectly.
Clinical Use Tip
Do not troubleshoot network communication during an active patient scan unless the clinical team confirms it is safe. If images cannot be archived or matched correctly, pause further clinical use until a safe downtime or correction workflow is approved. Move the patient to a backup device or approved alternate workflow first when therapy continuity, image availability, or patient care would be affected.
Work Order Documentation (CCR Method)
CCR = Complaint, Cause, Resolution
Complaint
What was reported by the clinical staff.
Example:
"Technologist reported that Biograph mCT PET/CT studies were failing DICOM send to PACS after reconstruction completed."
Cause
What was observed during troubleshooting.
Example:
"DICOM queue showed multiple failed sends, and external checks confirmed the workstation was powered, network cable was connected, and the selected PACS destination was correct."
Resolution
What action was taken.
Example:
"Verified basic network connectivity, confirmed the issue was not limited to one study, notified PACS/IT for archive communication review, and left the system Out of Service for PET/CT archiving until communication was restored."
Helpful Details to Include (If Known)
- Whether the issue affected one study or all studies
- DICOM destination selected
- RIS worklist status
- PACS/archive status if confirmed
- Error message displayed
- DICOM queue status
- Whether PET, CT, and fused series were complete
- Whether demographics and accession matched
- Network cable and link light status
- Whether other modalities were affected
- Any recent IT, PACS, RIS, or network changes
- Whether workstation restart was performed
- Final device or workflow status
Final Thought
PET/CT communication troubleshooting should protect patient data integrity as much as equipment uptime. Start with the visible workflow, study status, demographics, queue, and network connection before assuming a deeper system fault. Escalate appropriately when the issue involves PACS, RIS, routing, or Siemens service configuration, and document findings clearly using the CCR method.
That is successful troubleshooting.