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Learn why OsiriX is not the best medical image storage solution

Reposted from OsiriXeXperts.com

We find many OsiriX (or Horos) users end up using the software as a medical imaging storage/archive PACS. After all, the viewer has a built-in SQLite database that stores and organizes DICOM data locally. At first, it seems to do this quite well. But once you start to fill this database with a sizable number of studies, we have found that it begins to falter. The software requires rebooting, its operation slows, and sometimes images get lost. While it’s possible to leverage OsiriX or Horos as an interim local PACS, we don’t recommend it. OsiriX itself is not a sustainable PACS solution.

Building your own PACS is not the answer

Storage is one of the simplest parts of computing. That’s why we often find a medical practice’s IT generalist offering to build a bespoke PACS to handle the practice’s medical images.  But, while storing the image files is not rocket science, it’s way more efficient to let an expert organize your PACS.

Veterinarians choose Horos for uninterrupted medical image viewing.

When it comes to veterinary medical image viewing, what are YOU using? Where can you find a DICOM image viewer that is powerful, yet affordable and easy-to-use? The answer: vets now use OsiriX^{TM [1]}.

When OsiriX moves from open to closed source, what does that mean for users?

Our industry just passed an unfortunate but significant milestone in the world of medical image viewing. On Friday the 13^th (interpret the date as you wish) of March 2015, Pixmeo SARL released Version 6.5 of OsiriX, this time without opening the product to the community under an open source license. What that means to OsiriX users worldwide is that OsiriX is no longer part of the open source community. According to its new license agreement (reprinted below and notably flawed in its legal construction), while you can use the OsiriX Lite version that Pixmeo provides for download without charge, you are no longer permitted to modify, copy or distribute the OsiriX program.

Learn how open source medical imaging software is changing healthcare

Most radiologists have at least heard of a radiology viewing software product called OsiriX.  While they may not know a whole lot about the product, it is the most popular medical image viewing software in the world. OsiriX was produced in Switzerland by several radiologists who had the foresight to distribute it via an open source LGPL license.  And now there is Horos, a derivative of OsiriX, with even more functionality, and a growing and potent open source community surrounding it.