20 Apps All Radiologists Should Have on Their iPads

The iPad is getting rave reviews from medical professionals across the nation, and radiologists are part of that fan base. Part of the reason for this popularity is the access to educational apps, including many free apps that students, teachers, and health professionals can use to teach and learn anatomy. But, the full reach for radiologists and their iPads has just begun, especially with the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of the Mobile MIM, a tool that allows radiologists to view, diagnose, and approve treatment plans on the go. The radiology iPad world can only continue to expand for this field, including for those specialists who concentrate on single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), positron emission tomography (PET), computerized axial tomography (CAT or CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), X-ray, and ultrasound.

Medical Resources

1. 3D4Medical’s Images: The designers created this app specifically for the iPad to showcase high quality images developed by 3D4Medical.com. It contains over 200 medical images that can be displayed for presentation purposes, saved as wallpaper or shared with friends and colleagues. Note that these images do not pop out of the screen, nor can you spin them around. They are “images” made with 3D software that show the capability of 3D4Medical’s 3D digital artists.
2. Epocrates: If you have an Epocrates account, this app is free. You can retrieve reliable drug, disease, and diagnostic information at the point of care. Trusted for accurate content and innovative offerings, 50% of U.S. physicians rely on Epocrates to help improve patient safety and increase practice efficiency.
3. Medscape: Over one million health care professionals use this app, making it the most used iPad tool by physicians, nurses, medical students, and other health care workers. This free app contains medical news and alerts in 34 specialty areas and clinical references. Their clinical reference database and drug interaction checker can be accessed from anywhere without an Internet connection.
4. Skyscape Medical Resources: The free Skyscape app comes loaded with a valuable package of medical resources, including drug information, medical calculators and clinical information on over 850 topics. Skyscape also comes loaded with a valuable package of medical resources, including drug information, medical calculators and clinical information on over 850 topics. You can purchase any one of more than 600 premium resources in 35 medical specialties and access all of them from within this one convenient app as well.

Skeletal & Muscular Anatomy

5. Learn Muscles: Anatomy Quiz & Reference: This app is a great reference, testing and education tool for students, educators, and health care practitioners who want to study or teach the muscular system. Includes 141 muscle images with name, action, origin, insertion and comments, plus audio pronunciation guide, a quiz maker, an action viewer, and six short videos to create a rich learning experience.
6. Muscle & Bone Anatomy 3D: If you want to experience the future of digital education, this app is a great example of combining beautiful imagery, knowledge and interactivity, utilizing the full power of the iPad. This app is an amazing reference for anyone interested in the human musculoskeletal system. Muscle & Bone Anatomy 3D features five different ways to learn about the body: The Viewer, actions, 3D models, two types of quizzes, and videos.
7. Muscle System Pro III: Developed in collaboration with Stanford University School of Medicine, 3D4Medical offers an app with 215 movement animations, 425 audio pronunciations, 548 isolated muscle images, and 548 muscle “Insertion and Origin” map images. This app is by far the the most comprehensive musculoskeletal system on the market.
8. Skeletal System — Head and Neck: Zoom in to any area of the head and neck by tapping on a region. Zoom in further by tapping again to view an individual bone or bone region. The user can then identify the different bone parts by pressing on the flags. Each label is in English and Latin. You can get different views as well, including x-ray, skin, and anatomical views: anterior, lateral, posterior, medial, and even inferior and superior where appropriate.
9. Skeleton System Pro III: This new app, developed by 3D4Medical in collaboration with Stanford University School of Medicine, was named by Apple as one of the top five medical iPad apps for 2011. This tool contains 360-degree rotations of any body part, and you can rotate the image vertically for inferior and superior views. Also, you can watch 94 animations of every movement of each articulation.
10. Speed Bones Lite: This free app is the “lite” version of Speed Bones, a quiz that can help you identify all the bones in the body. This is a must have game if you are tackling anatomy for high school, university or medical school. It is more captivating than flashcards and practice mode allows you to learn specific regions without doing all the previous levels. Review mode lets you replay all the mistakes you’ made in the last game to facilitate learning.

Other Anatomy

11. Anatomy 3D — Organs: Expand your knowledge of human organs with this application that combines 3D models, video, audio lectures, quizzes, and text to create a rich learning experience. Includes detailed information on the brain, heart, stomach, spleen, pancreas, small intestines, reproductive organs, large intestines, kidneys, liver, skin, and lungs. You also can learn about cells, tissues and organ systems. Each of the 16 pages includes diagrams of organ anatomy, histology, and location.
12. Anatomy Pronunciations Lite: If you’ve taken an anatomy course, you know how challenging it can be to pronounce the names of those complicated anatomical terms. Now you have free and instant access to the proper pronunciations of all of the important anatomical terms.
13. Brain & Nerves: This app illustrates the most important topics in brain and nerve diseases, and is ideal for all medical professionals, medical residents and interns, nurses, medical students, and curious lay people who just want to learn more about brain and nerve diseases. Topics include dizziness, fainting, migraine, memory, stroke, and restless leg syndrome.
14. Free Primal Anatomy Quiz: Use this app for over 100 questions on three body systems: respiratory, cardiovascular, and digestive. This tool is perfect for any anatomy and physiology student, and includes clear learning objectives to assess learning. Over 700 colleges use this company’s excellent illustrations.
15. Gray’s Anatomy Student Edition: This app was designed after the renowned classic anatomical book by Henry Gray, first published in 1858. Gray’s work is considered by many to be one of the most iconic and significant medical books of all time. The app includes complete text and 1,247 illustrations, including scrollable thumbnails. You also can bookmark specific images.
16. Human Anatomy: Another free app that allows users to make quick educational references to sixteen different biological systems, including cardiovascular and digestive systems, male and female reproductive systems, and back and front muscular systems.
17. IMAIOS e-Anatomy: This free version of the award-winning IMAIOS’ e-Anatomy online atlas is available to subscribers to the paid online package. IMAIOS designed this tool for physicians, radiologists, medical students and radiographers. Before you buy, you can view more than 5,000 medical and anatomical images for free.

Radiology

18. X-rays: Have fun with this app as you identify broken or fractured wrists, hands, ankles, teeth, arms, legs, and skulls. You also can view embedded nails, knives, implants, rods, replacements, tubes, defibrillators, and other alien bodies. This free app includes images of abnormalities caused by disease or genetic heritage, including deformed spine, hands with six fingers, and feet with six toes.
19. Mobile MIM: This app provides wireless and portable access to medical images. Users can review images, contours, DVH, and isodose curves from radiation treatment plans. Mobile MIM can be used to approve these plans. Viewing, registration, fusion, and/or display for diagnosis of medical images from the following modalities: SPECT, PET, CT, MRI, X-ray and ultrasound.
20. modalityBODY: Interactive Anatomy and Medical Imaging for iPad: This app enables you to create interactive image libraries of the human body for professional reference, training, and patient education. Compile images from renowned medical texts or from your own photos to create custom collections. Register for the modalityBODY application for free, then download desired content sets from within the app, from the modalityBODY Store.