You can try this C# library: openDICOM.NET[^]
Sorry about that, it seems to be a mess without decent documentation or even a .sln to get you started.
You already found this CodeProject C# example, which works (but not for all pictures)
DICOM Image Viewer[
^]
To convert it to VB.NET, use this c# converter:
Convert .NET - A multipurpose conversion and developer tool[
^] But apparently the translation to VB is not perfect, so some work still needs to be done ...