Sending MRI and CT scans in DICOM format for a consultation

When a hospital asks to review an MRI or CT scan, sending a photograph of a printed image may not meet the request. Ask the receiving team exactly what it needs before uploading files. The task is to deliver the requested study in a usable form, together with its report and identifying details.

Understand the two parts of the request

DICOM is a standard for communicating and managing medical imaging information and related data. DICOM standard overview. Your imaging centre can tell you how it provides the original study for another hospital.

The radiologist’s written report is a separate document. Ask whether the reviewer needs both, and whether earlier studies are needed for comparison. Do not decide that only the most dramatic-looking image matters. Let the receiving clinical team define the required examinations and dates.

Request an export from the imaging centre

Give the centre the patient’s details, examination date and body area. Request the complete study in the format accepted by the receiving hospital. It may provide a patient portal, downloadable archive or physical media. Ask how long access remains available and whom to contact if the receiving team cannot open the export.

Keep the original export unchanged. If the package contains multiple folders or accompanying files, follow the centre’s instructions rather than selecting individual files yourself. Changing a filename extension does not convert a screenshot into an original medical imaging study.

Agree on a secure transfer route

Ask the hospital for its preferred upload or transfer method, maximum file size and any required patient reference. Avoid posting identifiable imaging on a publicly accessible page. If a link has an expiry date, tell the recipient and confirm that the review will take place before access ends.

For an initial request, use the treatment planning information to clarify the department and review process. Send large imaging files only after the destination and method have been agreed. Ordinary messaging attachments may not be suitable for the package the hospital requires.

Make the handover easy to check

Include a short index listing examination dates, scan types, body areas and the corresponding reports. Clearly label separate studies rather than mixing them in one unexplained folder. Check that the files belong to the right patient before transfer, particularly when a family shares a computer or storage account.

Ask for confirmation of three things: the package arrived, it opens in the receiving system and it contains the studies requested. A delivery notification establishes only the first of these. If something fails, ask the hospital to describe the error so the imaging centre can help.

Keep a fallback and avoid unnecessary repetition

Retain your own copy and a record of where the original was obtained. Bring available media to an in-person visit if the hospital requests it. Ask the specialist whether the existing study answers the clinical question; do not repeat a scan merely because a transfer has been inconvenient.

You can contact Medicina Turkey to establish the appropriate recipient. The process is complete when the reviewing department confirms that the requested material is accessible, not simply when an upload bar reaches one hundred percent.