Introduction
In modern medical imaging, doctors rarely look at just one scan in isolation. To make accurate decisions, they need to compare studies—today’s CT with last year’s CT, an MRI after treatment with the MRI before it, or multiple modalities side by side. This is where two critical features in DICOM viewers come into play: Compare and Prior Exam.
Compare allows physicians to put images next to each other and visually evaluate differences. Prior Exam ensures that the system automatically retrieves and displays older relevant studies for the same patient. Together, they save time, reduce errors, and improve clinical confidence.
In this article, we’ll explain what Compare and Prior Exam mean in simple terms, why they matter for everyday clinical practice, and how XEUS by MiNNOVAA turns them into a smooth, user-friendly experience.
What is “Compare”?
The Compare feature is exactly what it sounds like: the ability to view two or more exams side by side in a single workspace. A radiologist might compare:
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A CT scan before surgery with one taken after surgery
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A baseline MRI with a follow-up MRI six months later
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PET and CT images together for oncology planning
In traditional workflows, this was time-consuming. Users had to open different windows, align them manually, and switch back and forth. With Compare, all chosen exams are synchronized in one view. If you scroll through slices in one study, the other study scrolls in parallel. If you change windowing or zoom, the same adjustment is applied.
The result? Faster reading, more accurate conclusions, and less fatigue for the doctor.
What is “Prior Exam”?
While Compare is about side-by-side viewing, Prior Exam is about automated retrieval. The system detects when a patient has older studies and makes them available instantly.
Imagine a patient coming for a chest CT today. Without Prior Exam, the radiologist might have to search the archive, look up previous dates, and load each exam manually. With Prior Exam, as soon as you open the patient’s new CT, the viewer shows a list of past chest CTs, MRIs, or related modalities. One click, and the older study opens right next to the current one.
This saves valuable time in busy clinical environments, ensures no prior information is missed, and supports better continuity of care.
Why Compare and Prior Exam Matter
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Better accuracy – Subtle changes, such as a small tumor shrinking or growing, are easier to catch.
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Clinical confidence – Doctors make decisions with more certainty when they can see the evolution of a disease.
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Efficiency – No wasted minutes searching archives or switching screens.
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Patient trust – Patients feel reassured when their doctor shows them a clear “before and after” of their treatment.
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Consistency – Follow-up protocols require comparing new and old studies; these tools ensure it happens systematically.
Compare and Prior Exam in XEUS
XEUS, MiNNOVAA’s advanced DICOM viewer, takes Compare and Prior Exam to the next level.
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One-click Compare: Select the studies you want, hit “Compare,” and they open in synchronized panels. Scroll, zoom, or change windowing once, and all studies follow.
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Automatic Prior Exam loading: When you load today’s study, XEUS immediately checks for priors and shows them in the Prior Exam panel. With one click, you can open all or just the ones you need.
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Integrated workflow: Compare and Prior Exam are not “extras”—they’re part of the everyday workflow in XEUS. No extra setup, no complicated menu diving.
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Smart navigation: Move forward or backward between multiple priors with ease. The system keeps track of what you’ve already opened.
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Review mode: Want to quickly review all priors at once? XEUS offers a mode that loads every prior exam in a single session for rapid overview.
A User-Friendly and Secure Experience
What makes XEUS special is not only the features themselves but also how user-friendly they are:
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Intuitive design: Buttons are clear, layouts are flexible, and everything is designed to reduce clicks.
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Performance: Even with large imaging studies, XEUS handles Compare and Prior Exam smoothly.
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Security: Prior Exams are retrieved directly from your PACS or archive in compliance with DICOM standards, ensuring patient data is safe.
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Customizable: Different departments can set their own preferences—for example, automatically showing only the last two priors or including studies from specific modalities.
Real-World Impact
Think of an oncology clinic. Each patient has multiple follow-up exams over years. Without Compare and Prior Exam, reviewing progress would be chaotic. With XEUS, doctors can open today’s MRI, instantly see last year’s MRI in the Prior panel, and compare them side by side in seconds.
Or consider trauma imaging. A patient with repeated CT scans after surgery needs precise follow-up. Compare makes it effortless to spot whether healing is on track. Prior Exam ensures no critical study is overlooked.
The net impact: better care, faster workflows, and higher confidence in clinical decisions.
Conclusion
Compare and Prior Exam are no longer “nice-to-have” features—they are essential tools in modern imaging practice. They empower clinicians to see changes over time, make faster and more accurate diagnoses, and deliver care patients can trust.
With XEUS by MiNNOVAA, these features are built-in, intuitive, and optimized for real-world clinical use. Whether you’re tracking disease progression, reviewing surgical outcomes, or just ensuring no prior study is missed, XEUS makes the process seamless.
Compare and Prior Exam in XEUS: simple, smart, and designed for better healthcare.
Refences:
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DICOM PS3.17: Explanatory Information – Section on multi-frame, hanging protocols, and study comparison in DICOM.
🔗 https://dicom.nema.org/medical/dicom/current/output/chtml/part17/PS3.17.html -
IHE Radiology Technical Framework – Workflow profiles for image display, study comparison, and consistency across prior exams.
🔗 https://profiles.ihe.net/RAD/index.html -
Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) – Prior Imaging and Clinical Context – Guidance on how prior exams improve diagnostic accuracy.
🔗 https://www.rsna.org/practice-tools/prior-imaging -
American College of Radiology (ACR) Appropriateness Criteria – Emphasizes importance of prior imaging comparison in clinical decision-making.
🔗 https://acsearch.acr.org/ -
Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine (SIIM) – Best Practices in PACS and Enterprise Imaging – Includes sections on prior exams, hanging protocols, and synchronized comparison.
🔗 https://siim.org/page/enterpriseimaging