Proceedings Article | 11 March 2008
KEYWORDS: 3D image processing, Volume rendering, Visualization, Data conversion, Image processing, 3D vision, Scanners, Data communications, Medicine, Raster graphics
A variety of software exists to interpret files or directories compliant to the Digital Imaging and Communications in
Medicine (DICOM) standard and display them as individual images or volume rendered objects. Some of them offer
further processing and analysis features. The surveys that have been published so far are partly not up-to-date anymore,
and neither a detailed description of the software functions nor a comprehensive comparison is given. This paper aims at
evaluation and comparison of freely available, non-diagnostic DICOM software with respect to the following aspects:
(i) data import; (ii) data export; (iii) header viewing; (iv) 2D image viewing; (v) 3D volume viewing; (vi) support; (vii)
portability; (viii) workability; and (ix) usability. In total, 21 tools were included: 3D Slicer, AMIDE, BioImage Suite,
DicomWorks, EViewBox, ezDICOM, FPImage, ImageJ, JiveX, Julius, MedImaView, MedINRIA, MicroView,
MIPAV, MRIcron, Osiris, PMSDView, Syngo FastView, TomoVision, UniViewer, and XMedCon. Our results in table
form can ease the selection of appropriate DICOM software tools. In particular, we discuss use cases for the
inexperienced user, data conversion, and volume rendering, and suggest Syngo FastView or PMSDView, DicomWorks
or XMedCon, and ImageJ or UniViewer, respectively.
