AMICAS Help - Frequently Asked Questions

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Frequently Asked Questions
 
1 - How do I view a CR study done today?
2 - How do I view a study that an AMICAS Query can't find?
3 - How do I view a patient that an AMICAS Query can't find?
4 - How do I make the images larger?
5 - How do I make it easier to see a low contrast soft tissue lesion?
6 - How do I compare two studies done on two different days?
7 - How do I tell Left from Right on an MRI or CT?
8 - How do I measure the size of a lesion?
9 - How do I know which vertebra corresponds to the axial slice I'm viewing?
10 - How do I quickly display an image at full resolution? 
Answers
 
1 - How do I view a CR study done today?
Double-click the AMICAS shortcut on your desktop or select AMICAS Viewer from the Start Menu. Initial startup will take up to 30 seconds while your browser starts and loads the viewer with the Query Tab showing. Type the Medical Record Number (MRN) into the blank field and hit the Enter key. Scan the list for the study you want. CR, the date and other info will be shown directly below the gray bars that represent the images. Click on a gray bar to display the corresponding image within a few seconds.
 
2 - How do I view a study that an AMICAS Query can't find?
If the initial query did not return the study you are looking for, then it may have aged out of the AMICAS cache. Click on the Archive Tab in the Query Menu (the one with the AMICAS logo). Enter the MRN. If you are already viewing other studies from this patient, then AMICAS will automatically enter the MRN into the DICOM Query field. Click Search Now and review the list of archived studies that is returned. Click the gray square to select one or more studies for retrieval. Click Retrieve Now. Retrieval will take 5 to 30 minutes, or more, depending on how busy the archive is. Wait at least 30 minutes and repeat your AMICAS Query (See #1, above) to check if the requested study has been added to the list.
 
3 - How do I view a patient that an AMICAS Query can't find?
AMICAS may stop tracking a patient once all of their studies have expired from the cache. You can still search the archive by selecting the Archive Tab and typing the Medical Record Number or Accession Number into the corresponding field. Proceed with the search and retrieve as described in #2, above.
 
4 - How do I make the images larger?
To make images larger, you can change the tiling, use the magnifier mouse tool or double-click an image. Tiling choices and enlargement are listed in the Image Layout Menu by clicking the little triangle near the upper left corner of the window. The Magnifier Tool is selected via the Mouse Function Menu or by repeated Right-Clicks on the mouse.
 
5 - How do I make it easier to see a low contrast soft tissue lesion?
Image contrast and brightness are controlled by the Window / Level Tool and by Presets. The Window / Level Tool is selected via the Mouse Function Menu or by repeated Right-Clicks on the mouse. The icon of this tool is designed to remind you that dragging to the left increases contrast while dragging up increases brightness. Presets are accessed via the Image Layout Menu (a triangle near the upper left corner of the window) or the Image Pop-Up Menu (right-click and drag on any image). Presets are labeled and most useful when viewing CT images.
 
6 - How do I compare two studies done on two different days?
Select Compare Mode on the Display Mode Menu to split the screen. An Image Layout Menu (a triangle near the upper left) will appear for each of the two halves. Select Pick Study to expose a sub-menu of studies available for this particular patient. If necessary, repeat Pick Study or Pick Series on the other Image Layout Menu. Match up the tiling and align corresponding slices using the Image Layout Menu and the Page Images mouse function. Once aligned, use the Arrows and Page Up / Down Keyboard Shortcuts to move through both studies in synchrony.
 
7 - How do I tell Left from Right on an MRI or CT?
Anatomical locators and other parameters can be overlaid on the images. Click the DICOM Overlay option on the Image Layout Menu to toggle overlays on and off.
 
8 - How do I measure the size of a lesion?
A measurement tool is selected via the Annotation Sub-menu which is available on the Mouse Function Menu as well as the Image Pop-Up Menu which is displayed by a right-click and drag on any image. Measurements are in mm and can be erased by clicking with the Measurement or Delete tool on the rectangle that frames the numbers.
 
9 - How do I know which vertebra corresponds to the axial slice I'm viewing?
Select Cross Reference Mode on the Display Mode Menu to split the screen. An blue line will appear as an overlay on the left-hand image to indicate the location corresponding to the image in the right-hand window pane. If more than one image is displayed in the right-hand pane, then the blue cross-reference line corresponds to the image in the upper left position. To select the images in the left and right panes, use the Navigation Bar at the top of the screen and remember that this feature requires intersecting image planes. Once the series are selected, use the Page Images mouse function or  the Arrows and Page Up / Down Keyboard Shortcuts to move through the stack of images.
 
10 - How do I quickly display an image at full resolution? 
Double click on the left mouse button while the cursor is over the image. To return the image to its original size, double click the left mouse button again.