How to Open an i-CAT CBCT Scan

i-CAT outputs standard DICOM (with JPEG Extended 12-bit)

Every i-CAT scanner writes conformant DICOM files. Each axial slice is stored as an individual .dcm file with a DICOM preamble, patient metadata tags, and a pixel data element encoded using JPEG Extended 12-bit (transfer syntax 1.2.840.10008.1.2.4.51). This encoding retains the full 12-bit greyscale range the i-CAT sensor captures, which is essential for distinguishing cortical bone, trabecular bone, and soft tissue. Viewers that only implement the baseline 8-bit JPEG decoder will fail to display i-CAT files correctly — they will either show a blank image or throw a transfer syntax error.

How to read the CD layout

A typical i-CAT patient CD has a DICOM folder in the root containing all per-slice .dcm files, usually numbered sequentially. You will often also find a DICOMDIR index file in the root that maps the study and series structure. Some i-CAT discs include a CD_Viewer.exe Windows launcher and a PREVIEW folder with low-resolution JPEG snapshots. The diagnostic data is entirely in the DICOM folder. Drop that folder — or the entire disc contents — onto our viewer and the i-CAT volume will load with full 12-bit fidelity inside your browser.

Tx STUDIO Viewer alternative

Envista Holdings (the company that sells i-CAT scanners) provides Tx STUDIO as the official i-CAT viewing and treatment-planning application. Tx STUDIO is a Windows-only desktop application that requires account registration and an active software licence. For a patient who wants to view their i-CAT scan on a Mac, iPhone, or Android device — or simply without installing software — Tx STUDIO is not a viable option. Our browser viewer decodes the i-CAT JPEG Extended 12-bit DICOM files natively, so you get the full i-CAT image quality without Tx STUDIO.

Image quality preserved when opening in the browser

Our viewer ships a full JPEG Extended 12-bit decoder, meaning it reads the i-CAT pixel data at the original bit depth the scanner recorded. No pixel values are clipped, rounded, or remapped to 8-bit during decoding. Once the volume is loaded in the browser, you can adjust the window and level settings exactly as you would in Tx STUDIO, inspect axial, coronal, and sagittal reconstructions, and measure bone dimensions — all with the same i-CAT image quality. If your i-CAT scan still does not load correctly, check the supported formats list for transfer syntaxes and container types our viewer supports.

Key Takeaways

• i-CAT exports standard DICOM using JPEG Extended 12-bit transfer syntax — viewers that only support 8-bit JPEG will display blank or corrupted images
• Drop the DICOM folder from the i-CAT disc into our browser viewer; the DICOMDIR index is optional but helpful for automatic series organisation
• Our viewer includes a full JPEG Extended 12-bit decoder that preserves i-CAT's native bit depth — no quality loss compared to Tx STUDIO
• Tx STUDIO is the vendor's official i-CAT viewer but is Windows-only and requires registration; the browser viewer works on any platform without setup

Frequently Asked Questions