The most common way to add images to teaching file cases is to upload them through your web browser, as described in the section Uploading Files to a Case. The images should first be stored as files on your hard drive or in directory that is accessible over your local network. Direct DICOM connectivity is also supported, although this feature is not currently available in this application.
If the image source files are accessible to you through the filesystem, you can upload them directly without copying them first. However, if you do not have direct access to the image files, then you need to first export them to your hard drive. Most PACS workstations allow you to save images as files to your hard drive using a built-in menu option. Refer to your PACS workstation manual for instructions.
If your workstation does not give you the option of saving images as local files, you may consider using one of the following methods:
- Use third-party DICOM software to access images and save them for exporting. Two examples are:
- Radpix -- The Radpix DICOM interface pulls images from your PACS, then the built-in teaching file authoring tool allows you to publish cases directly to your teaching file server.
- Merge Efilm -- Set up an efilm server as a DICOM node, and push interesting studies from your PACS to the efilm server whenever you encounter them. The efilm workstation allows you to prepare images and export them as files for uploading to the teaching file.
- Use screen-capture software such as 20/20 (free) or Snag-It ($40) to capture images exactly they are displayed in the PACS workstation. This method is described in the AJR article "A Simple Method of Capturing PACS and Other Radiographic Images for Digital Teaching Files", AJR 2002; 178:817-819.
When preparing images for a case, you do not need to worry about the size or format of the images. Images will automatically be resized and reformatted for optimal viewing through the web browser (although the original images will still be available if you need them). The teaching file server can handle over 80 image types, including DICOM, bitmaps, GIFs, JPEGs, and other common formats.
You may use external software such as Photoshop or eFilm to mark up images with graphical annotations. For example, you could use arrows and text overlays to indicate findings. If you do so, you may want to save two versions of each image: one with the markup, and one without. When you add the images to a case, you will be able to specify how they are displayed, so that the marked up images only appear when the findings are revealed.