diff --git a/Modules/IO/DCMTK/src/itkDCMTKFileReader.cxx b/Modules/IO/DCMTK/src/itkDCMTKFileReader.cxx
index e2e72c1407d..d068bb9bfed 100644
--- a/Modules/IO/DCMTK/src/itkDCMTKFileReader.cxx
+++ b/Modules/IO/DCMTK/src/itkDCMTKFileReader.cxx
@@ -1326,7 +1326,15 @@ ::GetSpacing(double * const spacing) const
     // slice thickness
     spacing[0] = _spacing[1];
     spacing[1] = _spacing[0];
-    if(this->GetElementDS<double>(0x0018,0x0050,1,&_spacing[2],false) == EXIT_SUCCESS)
+    /*
+     * According Dicom standard (DICOM PS3.6 2016b - Data Dictionary)
+     * (0028, 0030) indicates physical X,Y spacing inside a slice;
+     * (0018, 0088) indicates physical Z spacing between slices;
+     *  which above are also consistent with Dcom2iix software.
+     *  when we can not get (0018, 0088),we will revert to previous
+     *  behavior and use (0018, 0050) thickness as a proxy to spacing.
+     * */
+    if(GetElementDS<double>(0x0018,0x0088,1,&_spacing[2], false) == EXIT_SUCCESS)
       {
       spacing[2] = _spacing[2];
       }
@@ -1341,8 +1349,8 @@ ::GetSpacing(double * const spacing) const
   // functional group, and then the per-frame functional group
   unsigned short candidateSequences[2] =
     {
-      0x9229, // check for Shared Functional Group Sequence first
-      0x9230, // check the Per-frame Functional Groups Sequence
+    0x9229, // check for Shared Functional Group Sequence first
+    0x9230, // check the Per-frame Functional Groups Sequence
     };
   for(unsigned short candidateSequence : candidateSequences)
     {
@@ -1359,12 +1367,27 @@ ::GetSpacing(double * const spacing) const
         rval = item.GetElementSQ(0x0028,0x9110,subSequence,false);
         if(rval == EXIT_SUCCESS)
           {
-          if(subSequence.GetElementDS<double>(0x0028,0x0030,2,_spacing,false) == EXIT_SUCCESS
-             && subSequence.GetElementDS<double>(0x0018,0x0050,1,&_spacing[2]) == EXIT_SUCCESS)
+          /*
+           * According Dicom standard (DICOM PS3.6 2016b - Data Dictionary)
+           * (0028, 0030) indicates physical X,Y spacing inside a slice;
+           * (0018, 0088) indicates physical Z spacing between slices;
+           *  which above are also consistent with Dcom2iix software.
+           *  when we can not get (0018, 0088),we will revert to previous
+           *  behavior and use (0018, 0050) thickness as a proxy to spacing.
+           * */
+          if(subSequence.GetElementDS<double>(0x0028,0x0030,2,_spacing,false) == EXIT_SUCCESS)
             {
             spacing[0] = _spacing[1];
             spacing[1] = _spacing[0];
-            spacing[2] = _spacing[2];
+            if (subSequence.GetElementDS<double>(0x0018,0x0088,1,&_spacing[2], false) == EXIT_SUCCESS)
+              {
+              spacing[2] = _spacing[2];
+              }
+            else
+              {
+              // punt, zSpace of 1
+              spacing[2] = 1.0;
+              }
             break;
             }
           }