Medical Imaging · DICOM Migration · End of Support 2026

Convert Pinnacle archives to DICOM

Pinnacle³ workstations reach end of support at end of 2026. Archive Exporter converts your Pinnacle TAR databases into fully standardized DICOM files — RTStruct, RTPlan, RTDose, CT Image — before your data becomes inaccessible.

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Input → Output conversion
.TAR RTStruct Structure sets
.TAR RTPlan Treatment plans
.TAR RTDose Dose distributions
.TAR CT Image Planning CT series

What is Archive Exporter?

Archive Exporter is a professional data migration service for radiation oncology centers using Pinnacle³ (by Philips) as their treatment planning system (TPS).

Pinnacle stores all patient radiotherapy data — CT images, structure sets, treatment plans, and dose distributions — in a proprietary .tar archive format. When a clinic migrates to a new TPS, upgrades its PACS, or needs to archive data for long-term retention, this format is incompatible with modern systems. With Pinnacle³ reaching end of support at end of 2026, this migration is now time-critical for all departments still running Pinnacle.

Archive Exporter reads these .tar archives and outputs fully compliant DICOM files: RTStruct, RTPlan, RTDose, and CT Image — the universal standard for medical imaging interoperability — while significantly reducing your storage footprint.

What the service does

Prescription Conversion

Each radiotherapy prescription is converted into a matched RTPlan / RTDose pair, preserving dose metadata and beam geometry for clinical review or re-import.

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Structured Output Hierarchy

Exported DICOM files are organized in a clear folder tree by patient and case. No flat dumps — every record is navigable and importable without preprocessing.

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Patient Filtering

Select a subset of patients for export using their unique Patient ID. Ideal for partial migrations, audits, or exporting specific cohorts without processing the full database.

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Plan Filtering

Filter by treatment plan name to export only the plans relevant to your workflow — approved plans, QA plans, or specific protocol-based plans.

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Storage Footprint Reduction

The conversion eliminates proprietary overhead present in Pinnacle TAR archives. Resulting DICOM files are significantly smaller, reducing long-term storage costs — with zero data loss.

2026
⚠ Critical Deadline

Pinnacle³ reaches end of support
at end of 2026

Philips has announced that Pinnacle³ proprietary workstations will no longer be maintained after end of 2026. Once support ends, your TAR archives become inaccessible — no updates, no fixes, no way to read your historical patient data on any modern system.

TPS migrations and archive exports take time to plan and execute. Departments that wait until the last quarter of 2026 risk running out of time. The right moment to act is now.

Plan your migration →

How the conversion works

01
Environment Setup
Configure the conversion environment to match your archive structure and clinical requirements.
02
Sample Verification
Export and validate a first batch of records to verify output quality and DICOM compliance before full run.
03
Full Export
Process all Pinnacle archives and convert the complete database to DICOM.
04
Export Report
Receive a detailed report listing all converted patients, plans, and any flagged records requiring attention.
1-Month Warranty
Full support warranty included. Any conversion issues within 30 days are covered at no extra charge.

Frequently asked questions

When does Pinnacle³ reach end of support?
Pinnacle³ proprietary workstations will no longer be maintained after end of 2026. After this date, departments that have not migrated their archives will lose access to their historical patient data — treatment plans, dose files, CT series — with no way to recover them through standard systems.
Does the conversion reduce storage space?
Yes. Pinnacle .tar archives include significant proprietary overhead and redundant data structures. The resulting DICOM files are leaner and better structured, leading to a notable reduction in storage footprint — particularly valuable for long-term archiving — with zero data loss.
It accepts .tar archive files generated by the Pinnacle³ treatment planning system (Philips). These archives contain raw patient, plan, dose, and image data in Pinnacle's proprietary format.
What DICOM objects are produced?
The service outputs four DICOM RT object types: RTStruct (structure sets), RTPlan (treatment plan parameters), RTDose (calculated dose distributions), and CT Image (planning CT series).
Why convert Pinnacle archives to DICOM?
Pinnacle's .tar format is proprietary and readable only by Pinnacle itself. DICOM is the universal standard used by all modern TPS, PACS, and oncology information systems. Converting ensures data accessibility, long-term archival compliance, and smooth system migrations.
Can I export only specific patients or plans?
Yes. You can filter exports by Patient ID to target individual patients, or by plan name to export only selected treatment plans — ideal for partial migrations or selective archiving.
Is there a quality verification step?
Yes. Before the full database export, a sample batch is run and shared with the client for verification. This ensures the output format and structure meet expectations before processing the entire archive.
Who provides Archive Exporter?
Archive Exporter is a service by Make It Live Consulting, based in Aubagne, France. Contact: [email protected].

Get in touch

Company
Make It Live Consulting
Address
276 Avenue du Douard
Centre d'Affaires Avantage Buro
ZI Les Paluds

13400 Aubagne, France