Desktop image analysis: workstations of the future.

We report the use of an interactive graphics-oriented workstation to explore quantitative information extracted from medical images. At the University of California at Los Angeles, a Macintosh II personal computer operates as a stand-alone system and images are imported from a central PACS (picture archiving and communication system) server through an Ethernet network. The image-analysis program contains a complete set of general-purpose tools for image manipulation and processing, as well as specific tools for clinical analysis of cardiac and vascular images obtained by various techniques. Most of these features were designed to communicate information through color-coded graphic displays. Ten novice users were given a brief introduction to the program and asked to perform eight analytic tasks. The overall success rate was 95%, and the subjects considered the program easy to use without a manual or formal training. We conclude that with a well-designed graphic interface, physicians without training in the use of computers can easily learn to manipulate and analyze medical images.