I am very excited about this application. First and foremost, the implementation is first rate; single finger seamless scrolling of excellent quality cross sectional imaging - as if you were at a PACS workstation, hyperlinks coordinating text with the findings, arrows to point out the findings (which can be turned off to help you make the findings yourself), and informative case info (history), findings, interpretation, and reference pages. This is the future of radiology education – not learned from a static picture in a book, but from dynamic image-sets simulating how radiology is actually practiced in the reading room; with an on-line tutor making sure you make all the findings and interpret them properly.
The individual image datasets (e.g. axial or coronal CT) can be scrolled in their default 2 x 2 format shared with text on the page, or double-tapped to enlarge any of the 4 image windows, or maximized so the image takes up the entire screen. The scrolling is completely fluid – even at maximum screen size (I have iPad2), and it works with vertical or horizontal format, nicely transitioning as you rotate the device. The creators obviously understand the capabilities of the Apple iOS and are taking full advantage of them.
The premise and text by van Leeuwen and Veldhuis are also excellent, presented as multiple cases you can pick and choose, or as a coherent textbook really delving into the anatomic analysis of abdominal imaging. As a third option there is an extensive index which points you to relevant cases. This is great for residents just learning body CT, or for seasoned radiologists who want to challenge themselves to really understand the anatomic basis of abdominal disease processes.
What really appeals to me about this concept is that it lends itself to all types of radiologic image-based teaching; an addition to (or dare I say it) even a replacement for standard hardcopy radiology texts. And infinitely more interactive than a textbook or most lectures - instead of an image or two or a slide that flashes by so quickly you can’t process it, you get the entire case – delivered at your own pace. I understand the developers have designed this application such that developing content is very straightforward. This, combined with digital marketing through the Apple store means publication can be swift, and can come from numerous authors directly. No more years to edit and typeset textbooks that are immediately out of date – instead create, publish, use, update – in bite size bits or more comprehensive works. Fast and simple; I expect we will see a lot of timely and useful educational material in the near future, and I look forward to adding it to my educational collection.
2.5
