DICOM is an international file format and network communication protocol developed by the American College of Radiology specifically for medical imaging. It allows healthcare professionals to view, store and share medical images, which, among other things, contain patient data and are often stored in a large database called PACS..
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of programs for viewing, editing, and other manipulations with DICOM and other medical imaging formats. This list is far from exhaustive. The programs are listed in no particular order.
PostDICOM
PostDICOM service is compatible with Windows, MacOS and Linux. It can be controlled from a smartphone on Android and iOS. PostDICOM comes with a cloud-based PACS that allows you to access your data from any device, anywhere, anytime..
At first, it may seem that for an ordinary user who just wants to see his picture, the service will not work, but it is enough to register and confirm your email in order to be able to download the .dcm file (or a whole folder) and see it. Everything is very simple.
The system allows for 3D reconstruction, 3D rendering and MIP, as well as fusion. It also offers an interface for generating reports, sharing files and immediately uploading all patient data to the cloud-based PACS system..
RadiAnt
RadiAnt DICOM is a simple and fast Windows program. It offers many features including MPR, MIP, and merge. Images can be exported to JPEG, PNG and other formats. For home use, it is enough to get a trial version, which is done automatically immediately after installing it on a computer, you don't even need to register. The paid version only costs € 5 per month.
The program allows only viewing, editing functions are not provided. There is a disclaimer on the developer's site which explicitly states that they do not have any certifications and therefore the product is not intended to be used in diagnostics. However, it will be useful for students to study medical imaging.
3DimViewer
Thanks to the user-friendly interface, 3DimViewer is easy to understand. The software can display 3D imaging profiles, including multiplanar and orthogonal reconstructions, but it is best at threshold tissue segmentation, both in volumetric images and when constructing surfaces. 3D rendering requires a powerful GPU, so don't try to open it on older computers or even newer models with integrated graphics.
Support for installation on Macintosh, Windows and Linux makes the program one of the most versatile in the industry. Thanks to the open source C ++ code, programmers (if you have one) can integrate 3DimViewer with other programs or otherwise tweak it for your system. 3DimViewer is for viewing only - there are no editing tools in it. Only adjust brightness, contrast, etc.
DICOM Web Viewer
DWV is an online medical image viewer written in Javascript and HTML5, meaning it will work with almost all modern browsers, on almost any device, including laptops, tablets, phones, and even some smart TVs. With a little modification of the code, the program can be embedded into any PACS server that supports the WADO protocol, or you can provide access to images via a URL.
The system is mainly for viewing only, there is not much editing options other than drawing shapes. Drawn drawings can be edited. There is Livewire, a semi-automatic segmentation tool that draws a line along the edge of intensity.
On this link will open the wiki and a demo version can be viewed here . You need to have some coding skills to successfully deploy the GitHub version, but DWV can also be installed as a regular Chrome extension , Google Drive app, or WordPress plugin. All additional information is available on GitHub.
Mango
Mango is available in three versions: desktop for Windows, macOS or Linux, browser (requires the latest Java version to work) and iPad version . For the browser version to work properly, you will need the help of programmers who are familiar with HTML and JavaScript firsthand.
Mango was developed by Jack Lancaster PhD and Michael Martinez of the University of Texas Health Science Center. The program supports DICOM, NEMA-DES, MINC and NIFTI formats, as well as VTK, GIFTI and BrainVisa surface rendering formats. You can even create custom formats and filters.
Mango has a variety of analysis, processing and editing tools, as well as the ability to convert, anonymize and register images. Due to the fact that the project is funded by the US National Institute of Mental Health, the functionality here is broader than in many commercial systems.
Escape EMV
EMV is able to open most DICOM images from CD / DVD, flash drives, etc. Available in two versions, a recently updated version for macOS and a version for Windows that is no longer supported. It requires QuickTime to work , so the developer has discontinued support for the Windows version.
With EMV, you can get survey results from other devices by giving the program access to WADO PACS systems. It is possible to handle custom objects such as measurements and annotations.
The program can depersonalize and transfer images, in addition, there are many display options, overlays, filters, markings and color changes. The demo can be downloaded free of charge, but for commercial use a license is required, which costs 245 euros and is issued for three computers.
