# Translating DICOM to FHIR
**Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine** (**DICOM**) is the communication standard for imaging and related metadata in healthcare.
However, DICOM’s complexity can be a barrier, and it may not give you the holistic view of the patient. With Redox, you can translate DICOM operations to FHIR to interact with medical imaging and metadata in a modern, easier way.
> **Key takeaways**
>
> - Redox queries the provider’s system (i.e., PACS) to get a URL, which is returned to you. You then use this URL to retrieve the original image.
> - Redox handles DICOM translation with the `ImagingStudy` resource. [Refer to the `ImagingStudy` schema](https://docs.redoxengine.com/permalink/d3c712a4-86eb-57da-9dd6-179369032f55-read).
> - Redox supports translating these DICOM operations: **WADO-RS** and **QIDO-RS**.
> - _Limitations_:
> - Redox doesn’t support any **-WS** or **STOW** operations, any DICOM viewers, or a sandbox of images.
> - DICOM to FHIR translation isn’t supported with **data on demand**.
## Who needs to translate DICOM to FHIR
Redox can benefit customers on the _receiving_ side of the DICOM data exchange for these use cases:
- Providers needing to interpret any kind of imaging or related metadata.
- Providers wanting to view a patient’s historical imaging without needing previous provider interpretations.
- Vendors consuming imaging data for AI learning or processing.
## How DICOM translation works
The Redox FHIR `ImagingStudy` resource translates imaging metadata to FHIR. [Refer to the `ImagingStudy` schema](https://docs.redoxengine.com/permalink/d3c712a4-86eb-57da-9dd6-179369032f55-read).
As the intermediary, Redox passes the data without processing the original images to avoid latency. But here’s how the DICOM to FHIR queries generally go:
1. You send a query to Redox for a patient’s imaging results.
2. Redox queries the provider’s web service to find the original image on the **Picture Archiving and Communications System** (**PACS**) server.
3. The PACS server sends a response to Redox with the URL for the storage location of the image.
4. Redox returns to you the endpoint URL for the image (within the FHIR `Endpoint` resource, which is referenced in `ImagingStudy`).
5. You send a query to the endpoint URL to retrieve the original image.
## Mappings between DICOM operations and FHIR
Redox translates standard DICOM operations into a FHIR bundle. Check out which DICOM operations we support below.
| **DICOM operation** | **Description** | **Redox FHIR** |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **QIDO-RS** | Exchanges PS3.10 files or separated metadata and bulk data, which allows you to retrieve entire studies and series instead of sending multiple queries for individual instances. | `ImagingStudy_search` This is the Redox FHIR operation when you query for the location of a patient’s imaging results. |
| **WADO-RS** | Exchanges databases or registries of DICOM objects. | `ImagingStudy read` This is the Redox FHIR interaction when you query an endpoint URL for the original imaging results. |