ODIN User’s Guide – Laptop or Desktop Web Browser

Brent Burbridge, MD, FRCPC

June 15, 2016

Version 1.3

ODIN (Online Dicom Image Navigator) is a server based, HTML5, DICOM image viewer that
displays cases created in the U of S MIRC Teaching File The cases displayed are only images
without text or reports. The images are anonymized to protect patient confidentiality. Do not use
Internet Explorer are your browser. We suggest Firefox, Goggle Chrome, or Safari.

ODIN cases can also be accessed specifically by using the case specific url that can be embedded
in a slide, document or pdf.

ODIN has a home page/search page that can be accessed by using this url:

https://mistr.usask.ca/odin/

ODIN Search Page

If you access ODIN via the home page or search page you must search for a case using the search
tool that appears.

There are multiple libraries available in MIRC that can be searched, as a whole, or one can select
specific libraries for searching. You can toggle the libraries on or off and you can select specific
libraries by using the radio buttons. Enter your search criteria in the search box and hit the return
key or the “Search” radio button. You can curtail your search by keywords and the pull down
menus next to the “Search” button.

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This viewer can also be activated when you click on a link in BlackBoard Learn that holds image
content for display. If you select a link in BlackBoard Learn you will be directed to the case
specifically, bypassing the case directory in ODIN. A new page will open in your web browser
displaying the images for the case you selected in BlackBoard Learn.

General Image Display

All of the images available in the case are displayed as thumbnails on the left when the case first
opens. The default image view is a single image filling the viewing pane.

The images in the case are shown as thumbnails in the left column. The active image displayed
is highlighted in red in the thumbnail list and on the image pane.

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You can left click the other thumbnail images to activate them in the main image viewer.

You can view and alter the appearance of the displayed images but it is not possible for you to
alter, damage, erase, or destroy the cases stored in the ODIN viewer.

If necessary, you can export any image that you have altered or annotated. These images you
have created can be used for teaching, examinations, learning, or research purposes. If you use
any images for these purposes please acknowledge the source in your work.

Image Sets with Multiple Stacked Images (CT, MR, US)

If an case has stacked images you will see the full image set in the thumbnail list as multiple
small boxes. At the bottom of these stacked, small, boxes, you will see three larger thumbnails.
These represent the first, the middle, and the last image in the stack. You can click on them to
move to these images. You will see in the small box display that the currently viewed image is
highlighted with a small red box. The middle and last images are small blue boxes. You can
select any one of the small boxes to go directly to that image in the stack.

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General Toolbar

There is a tool bar across the top of the window. This has a variety of image viewing features. If
you hover your pointer over the icon a pop-up box will identify the task this icon will execute.

Image Layout Tool

The default image layout is a single image filling the viewing pane. You can adjust how many
images are displayed in the main image pane, left click the second icon in the upper tool bar.
This icon allows you to change the layout of the main image viewing pane. A box will appear
over the image viewing pane that allows you to select the image tile formation.

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For example, if you left click on the top left, single active image in the thumbnail list will be
displayed one at a time in the viewing pane, as shown below. To see the next thumbnail image in
a single plane, left click that thumbnail.

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Toggle the Text Overlay Tool

Left clicking the “T” icon in the toolbar will toggle the text elements of the image off and on as
seen below.

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View Metadata Tool

If you wish to view all of the available, textual, metadata for the image being displayed, left click
the metadata icon and the background metadata will be displayed.

The available metadata is displayed in a separate box overlying the image.

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Download Image and Annotations Tool

The downward pointing arrowhead in the tool bar allows you to download the displayed image
for use in lectures, PowerPoint talks, and for assignments. This will be used when you have
completed the annotation of an assignment image and wish to download it to save and send to the
instructor for grading.

After you left click this icon you will be presented with the following instructions for
downloading the image in the viewer pane.

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As you can see, the displayed box allows you to right click on this image to copy or save the
image to a designated folder on your computer.

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Use Window Tool

All of the images displayed are presented with the window/level (brightness/contrast) optimally
displayed for the type of image being viewed i.e. ultrasound, x-ray, etc. Left clicking this icon
will allow you to change the window/level of the image being viewed using the pull down menu
to the right of this icon once you activate this feature.

This is only pertinent for Computed Tomography (CT), as the image window/level for these
types of images can be altered to optimally view different anatomic content i.e. bones, lungs, etc.
The pull down menu allows you to select the features you wish to accentuate on the active
window view pane.

Set Window Center and Width Values Tool

If you feel that it would be optimal to manually adjust the window/level, you can enter in
numerical units that will alter the image appearance to suit your purposes.

The dialogue box below will appear allowing you to adjust the image as you see fit.

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Zoom Tool

The image Zoom tool allows you to magnify the image in the viewing pane.

Below, you will see the zoomed appearance of the heart shadow zoomed from the original image
in this case. Due to the nature of the image format being displayed, it is possible to zoom the
image quite substantially without loosing image detail.

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Move/Pan Tool

The Move or pan icon allows you to move the zoomed image in the viewing pane to see different
regions of the image in the magnified format.

Vertical Flip Tool

The two arrowheads pointing up and down allow you to flip the image in the vertical plane.

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See below.

Horizontal Flip Tool

The two arrowheads pointing left and right allow you to flip the image on the horizontal plane.

See below.

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Rotate Image Left (Counter Clockwise), Rotate Image Right (Clockwise) Tool

The grey boxes with the circular arrows over them allow you to rotate the image in the direction
identified in 90 degree increments, you can rotate the image through the 360 degree circle.

See below.

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Reset Image (Window Values, Zoom, Position (Pan), Rotation, etc.) Tool

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As the tool name implies, this will reset the image to the native state of the original case structure.

Image Annotation Tools/Color Palette Tool

The Image Annotation icon allows you to select the line, arrow, circle, box, text tool, and angle
measurement tool.

The line tool also acts as a ruler and there is an angle measurement tool as well.

The color panel next to this tool allows you to select a color for your annotation activities.
Different colors can be displayed on the same image.

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Angle Measurement Tool

This tool allow you to measure angles. To use, activate the tool in the pull down menus, click on
the first anchor point and drag to the next anchor point, release the mouse button, then move your
mouse to the next anchor point and click. An angle, with the numerical measurement will be
displayed.

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Undo Last Annotation Tool

There is an Undo last step icon to clear your last change to the viewed image.

Redo Last Annotation Tool

Or, you may select a Redo the last annotation icon.

Saved Annotated Image

An example of a saved, annotated image is provided below.

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Unselect the “Annotation Tool”

In order to deactivate or unselect the Annotation tool you currently have in use the “Unselect
Annotation” tool.

Looping Speed Tool

If you are viewing a image dataset that is a stacked image series i.e. sequential images
anatomically stacked from cranial to caudal or right lateral to left lateral, you can view these like
a cine movie clip. This is something that could be an option for sequential MRI, Ultrasound, CT,
or Angiography images. To activate this function slide the red button on the Looping Speed Tool
to the right and adjust the speed to suit yourself. To stop looping, slide the red button back to the
far left and release it. Do not try and stop the Looping Tool by reloading the web page as
this will generate an error and you will need to restart your browser. Crashing on reload
happens with Mac Safari but not with Firefox.

Image Set Scroll Bar

When an image set is available that allows for scrolling you will also see a scroll bar on the right
side of the image pane in the viewing window. You left click, hold, and drag this red slider tool
to scroll through the image set. This is important for viewing sets of CT, Ultrasound, MRI, and
Angiography images if they have been saved as a cine type image set.

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Directory/Open a New Teaching Case Tool

If you accidentally close the ODIN web page you can retrieve it by clicking the link in the
BlackBoard Learn page you were on. However, you will have lost any image changes you made
using the tool bar icons unless you saved them as downloaded images. The ODIN case always
reverts back to the native state of the case saved in the server.

You can see the other cases stored in the ODIN directory by left clicking the file folder icon on
the top left of the toolbar. You will be presented with the Search Tool to look for other cases of
interest.

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