Medical imaging is an essential, non-invasive, routine activity performed by radiographers and radiologic technologists. It’s a discipline of the health profession which involves using technology to capture images of the human body.
There are a number of reasons why capturing these images are important to our well-being. First, the images help in the identification and examination of diseases, and physical injuries such as broken bones and ruptured blood vessels, as well as assisting in diagnosing suitable treatments. Medical imaging is also crucial in an educational role.
Imaging capturing devices for medical purposes use the DICOM image format. DICOM is an acronym for Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine. It’s the standard open image format used to handle, store, print and transmit information in medical imaging. This article focuses on software that lets you view images generated from DICOM devices.
DICOM enables the connectivity and exchange of data between:
- Image Acquisition Devices / Modalities: X-Ray, CT, MR, NM, US.
- Image Management Systems (PACS).
- Diagnostic Workstations.
- Storage and Archive Products.
- Radiology Information Systems (RIS).
- Cardiology Information Systems (CIS).
- Radiation Therapy Planning Systems.
To provide an insight into the quality of software that is available, we have compiled a list of 16 Linux medical imaging software. Here’s our verdict captured in a legendary LinuxLinks-style ratings chart. Only free and open source software is eligible for inclusion.
Click the links in the table below to learn more about each tool.
| Medical Imaging Software | |
|---|---|
| 3D Slicer | General purpose biomedical software with visualization and analysis |
| XMedcon | Medical Image Conversion Utility |
| Weasis | Multipurpose standalone and web-based DICOM viewer |
| MRIcroGL | Provides tools for 2D and 3D display of medical images |
| GATE | Numerical simulations in medical imaging and radiotherapy |
| dcm4che | DICOM implementation in Java |
| AMIDE | A Medical Imaging Data Examiner |
| InVesalius | Generate 3D medical imaging reconstructions |
| SMILI | The Simple Medical Imaging Library Interface |
| Ginkgo CADx | Advanced DICOM viewer and dicomizer with conversion functionality |
| ImageJ | General image processing program with DICOM support |
| Starviewer | Medical imaging software fully compliant with the DICOM standard |
| Aeskulap | Medical image viewer |
| kradview | DICOM viewer |
| DicomBrowser | Inspect and edit DICOM header fields, and DICOM viewer |
| openDICOM.NET | DICOM library project |
This article has been revamped in line with our recent announcement.
 Read our complete collection of recommended free and open source software. Our curated compilation covers all categories of software. The software collection forms part of our series of informative articles for Linux enthusiasts. There are hundreds of in-depth reviews, open source alternatives to proprietary software from large corporations like Google, Microsoft, Apple, Adobe, IBM, Cisco, Oracle, and Autodesk. There are also fun things to try, hardware, free programming books and tutorials, and much more. |