Visual presentation of magnetic resonance images

Medical image analysis is shifting from current film oriented light screen environments to computer environments that involve viewing and analyzing large sets of images on a computer screen. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies, in particular, can involve many images. The paper examines how best to meet the needs of radiologists in a computational environment. To this end, a field study was conducted to observe radiologists´ interactions during MRI analysis in the traditional light screen environment. Key issues uncovered involve control over focus and context, dynamic grouping of images and retrieval of images and image groups. To address the problem of focus and context, existing layout adjustment and magnification techniques are explored to provide the most appropriate solution. Our interest is in combining the methodologies of human computer interaction studies with computational presentation possibilities to design a visual environment for the crucial field of medical image analysis.