HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Haider, M. A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Haider, M. A. Related Collections Informatics

Extending PowerPoint with DICOM Image Support¹

¹ From the Joint Department of Medical Imaging, University Health Network and Mount Sinai Hospital, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Recipient of a Cum Laude award for an infoRAD exhibit at the 2002 RSNA scientific assembly. Received March 19, 2003; revision requested May 6; revision received May 13; accepted May 29. Address correspondence to the author, Department of Medical Imaging, Princess Margaret Hospital, 610 University Ave, Rm 3–958, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5G 2M9 (e-mail: m.haider@utoronto.ca).

Although PowerPoint has become a ubiquitous presentation tool in medical imaging, it does not support the Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) standard. Users must go through a laborious conversion process that includes guessing the appropriate brightness and contrast to convert 16-bit DICOM images into 8-bit formats. A PowerPoint add-in was developed that incorporates features of a DICOM viewer into a presentation. Users can interactively manipulate large series of 16-bit images in stack mode with scroll, crop, zoom, and window width and level functions, as well as sort through images by location or series. Multiple DICOM image series can be placed on a single slide, and one can interactively scroll through stacks of images during a presentation to demonstrate imaging findings. The problem created by the varying contrast and brightness of different projector systems is overcome by interactively adjusting the image window level during presentations. Bone and lung window views can be shown without having to create separate images. Combining DICOM images into stacks as part of a PowerPoint presentation can result in a more effective and higher-quality presentation of medical images.

© RSNA, 2003

Index Terms: Computers, educational aid • Computers, multimedia • Digital imaging and communications in medicine (DICOM)

This article has been cited by other articles:

				C.-S. Yam Freeware Program for Converting Image Sequences to Flash Movie Loops Am. J. Roentgenol., January 1, 2008; 190(1): W68 - W72. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				O. Lababede and M. Meziane Medical Illustration Techniques for PowerPoint: Part 2, Practical Applications Am. J. Roentgenol., April 1, 2007; 188(4): W384 - W388. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. J. Gniadek and B. Desjardins Interactive Display of Stacks of Images in Scientific Presentations with PowerPoint Am. J. Roentgenol., September 1, 2004; 183(3): 859 - 861. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]