SeriesInstanceUID split/merge
Re-assign SeriesInstanceUIDs to split one series apart or merge several together.
Problem
A single DICOM series contains slices from two different acquisitions (e.g. pre-contrast and post-contrast scans accidentally grouped together), or two series from the same acquisition got split across different Series Instance UIDs. You need to split the incorrectly grouped series or merge the incorrectly separated ones — and in both cases, the affected series must receive proper new UIDs to maintain DICOM referential integrity.
Steps
Split Slices (one series → two)
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Open the files (⌘O) and switch to the Files tab in the right rail.
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Select the series in the study tree and click the 🥞 Split Slices button.
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In the slice selection panel, check the instances you want to move to a new series. The “Select All” label updates to show the count.
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Click Split Selected. The tree now shows two series rows.
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Verify the new Series Instance UID — click the newly split series to select it, switch to Edit mode (⌘3), and filter for Series Instance UID (0020,000E). The value should be new, non-empty, and longer than 10 characters.
Merge Series (two series → one)
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In the Files panel, use the Merge dropdown on the first study header to merge all series under a single study.
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For series-level merging, use the Merge series dropdown on a series row to absorb another series.
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After merging, the tree shows fewer series rows (merged back to 1).
Expected Result
- Split: Selected instances move to a new series with a fresh Series Instance UID. Total series count increases.
- Merge: Series are consolidated. The surviving series retains its UID; the absorbed series’ instances adopt the survivor’s UID.
- UID regeneration uses
dcmage.*prefix for application-generated UIDs. - The dirty counter reflects structural changes.