Read and Convert DICOM Files in Java with JDeli
JDeli Image Library adds DICOM support to Java, allowing you to read DICOM medical images and convert them to other image formats without native dependencies. Java’s built-in ImageIO has no DICOM support, meaning any Java application that needs to handle DICOM files must rely on a third-party library. JDeli reads single and multi-frame DICOM files, whether uncompressed or compressed with JPEG, JPEG lossless, or JPEG 2000, entirely in pure Java, with no native binaries, no platform-specific setup, and no risk of JVM crashes from native code.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Java support DICOM natively?
No. Java’s built-in ImageIO cannot read DICOM files. JDeli adds DICOM read support in pure Java.
Can JDeli read DICOM files in Java?
Yes. JDeli can read DICOM files and return a BufferedImage, which can then be processed or converted to any other supported format.
Can JDeli write DICOM files in Java?
No. JDeli reads DICOM files but does not write them. To save DICOM images in another format, convert them to a format JDeli can write, such as JPEG, PNG, or TIFF.
Which DICOM compression types does JDeli support?
JDeli reads uncompressed DICOM images and DICOM images compressed with JPEG, JPEG lossless, or JPEG 2000.
Can JDeli read multi-frame DICOM files?
Yes. JDeli reads both single and multi-frame DICOM files. The DicomDecoder class returns the number of frames in a file and lets you read each frame as a separate BufferedImage. See the Java DICOM reader guide for a code example.
How do I convert DICOM to JPEG in Java?
JDeli’s convert method provides a single call to convert directly from DICOM to JPEG. JDeli handles the conversion entirely in Java with no native tools required.
How do I convert DICOM to PNG in Java?
JDeli’s convert method provides a single call to convert directly from DICOM to PNG. JDeli handles the conversion entirely in Java with no native tools required.
Does JDeli’s DICOM support require native libraries?
No. JDeli’s DICOM implementation is pure Java. It runs consistently across platforms without the JVM crash risk that comes from native-dependent alternatives.
Can JDeli be used with ImageIO to read DICOM files?
Yes. JDeli is available as an ImageIO plugin. Once the DICOM reader is registered through the plugin, existing code that calls ImageIO.read() will use JDeli to read DICOM files. See the ImageIO migration guide for details.