I’ve been using the MIRC (Medical Resource Imaging Center) software to display the cases featured here on the blog. It’s a concept that took me some time to get my head around; there is software to install, but it all works through a web browser. For users, access to the cases is easy, just point and click. All you need is a web browser such as Firefox or Internet Explorer.
Once you are at the main page, you’ll see a search field on the right side. You can simply click on search to see a list of all the cases on the site. If you’d like to search for something specific, like hemangiosarcoma, type it into the box and click on search. You’ll get a list of all the files that contain that word.
For more options, click on “show advanced search options” under the search field. One of the coolest features is the little check box at the bottom that says “display as unknowns”. If you check it, any cases you search for will have the title hidden so that you can test yourself. There is a second box called “case navigator”, that when checked, lets you click to the next case in your search list without going back to the list of cases.
Just under the main search field, there is a drop-down menu on the right side. The list of storage servers here each contain different information. The default is set to Teaching File, which is where all the teaching cases are stored. The other options are the RSNA MIRC site, and Veterinary Radiology Questions and answers. The RSNA MIRC site shows files on how to install the software, presentations on its use etc. If you are thinking of setting up your own site, it’s a great resource. Questions and Answers is my collection of material from the first and second year veterinary students, mostly on abdominal radiology. Select one or all of these for your search.
Next there are some search fields headed by “select query type”. You can really refine your search by choosing basic, document, content, clinical, image and patient. For example, if you click on document across the top, then choose level, primary, you’ll get a result with all the primary level cases.
Once you get to a case, just click on the tabs across the top to get to the different sections. Images are displayed in the panel on the right one at a time. You can scroll through by clicking on the arrows or by clicking on the thumbnail images. If there is a larger version of the image in the file, you’ll see a “original size” button at the top right of the image panel. Clicking on it will open the larger image in a new window so you can scroll around and see all the detail. Enjoy!
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