Typical screen layout of workstation software used for reviewing multi-detector CT studies.

Clockwise from top-left: Volume rendering overview, axial slices, coronal slices, sagittal slices.

A study may consist of several hundred slices which the user can scroll through. Images are usually acquired by the scanner in the 'axial' plane. The workstation reconstructs coronal, sagittal or oblique images on demand.

Although visually very appealing, the volume rendering is often of limited diagnostic value, and requires substantial computer resources. Qualitative and quantitative information tends to be more accessible on the cross-sectional images, and many operators prefer to forgo the volume rendering for an oblique cross-sectional series, or a duplicate series displayed with different window settings.