gdcmclean - Man Page

  -i --input                  DICOM filename / directory
  -o --output                 DICOM filename / directory
  -r --recursive              recursively process (sub-)directories​.
     --continue               Do not stop when file found is not DICOM​.

     --empty    %d,%d         DICOM tag(s) to empty
                %d,%d,%s      DICOM private tag(s) to empty
                %s            DICOM keyword/path(s) to empty
     --remove   %d,%d         DICOM tag(s) to remove
                %d,%d,%s      DICOM private tag(s) to remove
                %s            DICOM keyword/path(s) to remove
     --scrub    %d,%d         DICOM tag(s) to scrub
                %d,%d,%s      DICOM private tag(s) to scrub
                %s            DICOM keyword/path(s) to scrub
     --preserve %s            DICOM path(s) to preserve
     --preserve-missing-private-creator             Whether or not preserve private attributes with missing private creator​.
     --preserve-group-length                        Whether or not preserve deprecated group length attributes (will not be re-computed)​.
     --preserve-illegal                             Whether or not preserve illegal attributes (eg​. group 0003​.​.​.)​.

  -h   --help
         print this help text and exit

  -v   --version
         print version information and exit

  -V   --verbose
         verbose mode (warning+error)​.

  -W   --warning
         warning mode, print warning information

  -E   --error
         error mode, print error information

  -D   --debug
         debug mode, print debug information

This functionality is not described in the DICOM standard​.

The following example shows how to use editing mode and achieve multiple operations at the same time:

• Preserve illegal attributes (removed by default),
• Empty any 'PN' attributes anywhere in the hierarchy tree, but preserve the DICOM attribute value only at location "0010,0010",
• Empty the tag (0010,0020) Patient ID, (only if keyword is know internally),
• Empty the tag (0070,0084),
• Remove the private attributes: (0029,20, SIEMENS MEDCOM HEADER) / (0033,02,MITRA OBJECT UTF8 ATTRIBUTES 1​.0) / (0043,2a,GEMS_PARM_01)​. Since (0033,02,MITRA OBJECT UTF8 ATTRIBUTES 1​.0) is defined internally in the private dictionary with Value Representation = PN, this attribute will be skipped (since redundant)​.
• Scrub the private attributes: (0029,10,SIEMENS CSA HEADER) / (0029,20,SIEMENS CSA HEADER) / (700d,08,TOSHIBA_MEC_MR3) / (0029,90,PMTF INFORMATION DATA)

$ gdcmclean \
    --recursive --continue \
    --preserve-illegal \
    --empty PN --preserve /0010,0010 \
    --empty PatientID --empty "0070,0084" \
    --remove "0029,20,SIEMENS MEDCOM HEADER" --remove "0033,02,MITRA OBJECT UTF8 ATTRIBUTES 1​.0" --remove "0043,2a,GEMS_PARM_01" \
	--scrub "0029,10,SIEMENS CSA HEADER" --scrub "0029,20,SIEMENS CSA HEADER" \
	--scrub "700d,08,TOSHIBA_MEC_MR3" \
	--scrub "0029,90,PMTF INFORMATION DATA" --scrub "0029,90,TOSHIBA_MEC_MR3" \
    input_folder output_folder

For ease of use on shell command the syntax allow for the '/' separator in the DICOM Path notation​. So the following is valid

"/0040,0100/1/0040,0006"

However Private Creator can use all of Value Representation LO definition​. So in some case you will be required to use backslash as separator (since illegal in VR:LO):

"\\4109,2,Applicare/Centricity Radiology Web/Version 1​.0"

It is currently not possible to empty/remove any private attribute listed in the Safe Private Attributes table at:

https://dicom​.nema​.org/medical/dicom/current/output/chtml/part15/sect_E​.3​.10​.html#table_E​.3​.10-1