# Essence Flow **Domain:** Real-Time Media / Clinical Transport **Doc Type:** Technical Concept Node **Maturity:** Established Media Architecture **Related:** [[SMPTE ST 2110]], [[DICOM Real-Time Video]], [[Rendition Metadata]] --- ## Definition An **essence flow** is a network stream carrying one primary media type—such as uncompressed video or audio—separately from other media and metadata. In DICOM-RTV, corresponding metadata flows identify and describe the clinical meaning of the transported essence. ## Architectural role Separation improves routing and processing flexibility, but a higher-level binding and synchronized clock are required to reconstruct one coherent clinical rendition.