Adaptation of an internet‐based DICOM viewer for use with the Medical Imaging Resource Center – Teaching File System (MIRC‐TFS)

Abstract

DICOM is the standard file format for medical imaging; however, storage, transmission and viewing of these images over the internet for teaching and learning purposes outside of the clinical setting presents a challenge as they do not lend themselves well to rapid display and interrogation due to their atypical file format. The aim of this project was to utilize the web technology standard HTML 5 offers to deploy a DICOM viewer that functions well, directly in the user's browser, without the need for complex client side‐applications, application switching, or user login requirements. To achieve this we have adapted the open source HTML 5 DICOM viewer, Oviyam, for integration with the Radiological Society of North America's Medical Imaging Resource Center – Teaching File System (MIRC‐TFS) on a virtual server to facilitate access to DICOM objects for teaching and learning. For learners a plugin was developed to transform the DICOM images in MIRC‐TFS into JPEG format resulting in a reduction in file size allowing users to view the images more rapidly while supporting higher user traffic for viewing images concurrently, as frequently occurs with large class sizes. In addition, a second plugin was developed for BlackBoard Learn that allows instructors to browse the MIRC‐TFS teaching cases and insert them alongside their other course materials. The tool set and image viewing capabilities of Oviyam were enhanced to include annotation tools allowing students to create marked up versions of the images for evaluation of their knowledge. The deployment of this solution has significantly facilitated the interaction of teachers and learners with DICOM based images for use in their academic environment.