Medical imaging plays a crucial role in modern healthcare, enabling accurate diagnoses and effective treatment planning. However, the management and accessibility of vast amounts of imaging data present significant challenges. Orthanc, a free and open-source, lightweight, and extensible software, has emerged as a recognized solution for medical imaging data management.

Orthanc serves as a vendor-neutral archive, facilitating the cost-effective storage, retrieval, and sharing of various imaging modalities, including X-ray, MRI, CT scans, and more. Its modular design allows seamless integration into existing healthcare systems. Orthanc's compliance with the DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) and DICOMweb interoperability standards ensures compatibility across different imaging devices and platforms, fostering collaborative research and multidisciplinary healthcare approaches.

Key features of Orthanc include its user-friendly interface, scalability, and support for advanced functionalities like de-identification and encryption, ensuring patient data security and privacy compliance. Multiple Web viewers are integrated into Orthanc, such as OHIF, Kitware VolView, and the Stone Web viewer. Orthanc also comes with a REST API that can be used to script imaging workflows, which is widely used to set up auto-routing between local DICOM servers or between remote sites. Furthermore, its ability to incorporate machine learning algorithms for image analysis and processing opens avenues for automated diagnosis, treatment planning, and research advancements.

Digital Public Goods Alliance recognized Orthanc as a digital public good in August 2023. This underscores the commitment of the Orthanc community to contribute to Sustainable Development Goals 3 and 9 (health, innovation, infrastructure).

In conclusion, Orthanc stands as a robust, versatile, and adaptable software solution for the efficient management and utilization of medical imaging data. Its accessibility, interoperability, and capacity for customization position Orthanc as a valuable asset in advancing medical research, clinical workflows, and ultimately improving patient care outcomes.

Homepage of the Orthanc project: https://orthanc.uclouvain.be/ Source code: https://orthanc.uclouvain.be/hg/