How to Upload DICOM Files to MyResultLab
A complete guide to uploading a CT or MRI scan folder that contains DICOM (.dcm) files, so you can get an AI-powered explanation of your images.
Last updated: September 9, 2026
Quick Start & Best Practices
Upload the full folder: Do not select only one .dcm file. Upload the entire folder so all slices can be used for 3D analysis.
Extract ZIP files first: If your scan data is provided as a ZIP file, extract it to a folder before uploading.
Keep the original structure: Do not rename or reorganize files. The original structure helps the system classify image series correctly.
Analyze different series separately: If your scan contains multiple image series, such as before and after contrast, analyze each series separately for more reliable results.
Check the file count: A CT scan often contains 10 to 500 .dcm files. If you only see a few files, the scan data may be incomplete.
Step-by-Step: Upload a DICOM Folder
Prepare your DICOM files
DICOM files usually come from a CD, USB drive, download folder, or data package provided by the imaging center. Your scan is usually stored as a folder containing many .dcm files.
Important: if the files are in a ZIP package, extract them first.
Open the upload page
Follow these steps to open the upload page:
- Open our website, MyResultLab
- On the homepage, find the upload folder section (MRI Scan Analysis)
- Click the "Select Folder" button
Select the DICOM folder
Click "Select Folder" and choose the complete folder that contains all .dcm files. The folder may contain a DICOMDIR file — an index file that helps organize the scan. Your browser will ask for folder access permission; this is normal, because the system needs to read every .dcm file in the scan.
Review the series and continue
After parsing, your scan is organized as Patient → Study → Series, where a series is one image sequence taken at a specific angle or with specific parameters. Preview a series, then click "Continue — view and explain with AI" to get a plain-language explanation.
Keep asking questions
After the AI explanation, you can keep asking questions to understand your result more clearly. Radiologist reports are full of technical terms, and follow-up questions help you walk into your doctor visit better prepared.
What to Ask After Your Explanation
The AI remembers your scan context, so you can keep asking questions such as:
Clarify medical terms
e.g. "What does ground-glass opacity mean?" or "What is a nodule in plain language?"
Understand the findings
e.g. "How serious is this finding?" or "What does it mean for my health?"
Get more context
e.g. "Is this kind of finding common?" or "What might cause it?"
Ask about next steps
e.g. "What should I discuss with my doctor?" or "Do I need a follow-up scan?"
Compare exams
e.g. "What has changed compared with my previous scan?" (if you upload more than one scan)
Understanding .dcm Files
A .dcm file (DICOM — Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) stores a medical image together with its metadata. Depending on the imaging center and scanner settings, one .dcm file may contain a single CT or MRI slice, or multiple slices — even a full 3D volume — packaged in the same file.
What Metadata Is Inside a .dcm File?
Every DICOM file contains rich metadata. This information is essential for understanding the scan context, rebuilding the image correctly, and giving more accurate AI explanations. When you upload a DICOM folder, MyResultLab reads it automatically.
Patient information
May include patient name (often anonymized or partially anonymized), patient ID assigned by the institution, date of birth, and sex.
Study information
May include study date and time, study description (e.g. "CT Chest" or "MRI Brain"), Study Instance UID, the requesting physician, and the accession number.
Series information
May include series description (e.g. "Axial 5mm" or "Coronal Reformat"), series number, modality (CT, MR, XR, US, etc.), and image count.
Acquisition parameters
May include slice thickness, pixel spacing, image position and orientation, window center/width, KVP and mAs, and whether contrast agent was used.
Scanner details
May include manufacturer (e.g. Siemens, GE, Philips), scanner model, software version, and institution name.
What Is a DICOMDIR File?
DICOMDIR is a special index file — a table of contents for the DICOM folder. It is optional, but some imaging centers include it with the scan data. It contains a hierarchical index of all patients, studies, and series in the folder, pointers to the location of each .dcm file, and a summary of each series (image count, description, etc.). When present, it helps the system load the folder structure faster, group related series more accurately, and tell apart multiple studies or patients in the same folder. If your folder has no DICOMDIR, that is completely fine — MyResultLab reads the metadata inside each .dcm file to organize everything.
How CT and MRI Slices Are Stored in .dcm Files
Understanding how slices are stored helps you upload more smoothly and get a more complete analysis.
One slice per file (most common)
Most often, each .dcm file contains a single slice. A typical CT or MRI series may contain 50 to 500 individual .dcm files, each one slice of the body; together they form the complete 3D volume. Example: a chest CT may contain 200 .dcm files, each a 1mm-thick slice from the top of the chest to the bottom.
Multiple slices per file
Some imaging systems package many slices into a single .dcm file — one file may hold 10, 50, or even 100+ slices. Files are larger but fewer in number, and all slices in one file belong to the same series. Example: a brain CT may ship as 5 .dcm files with 40 slices each (5 × 40 = 200 slices).
Why it affects analysis
MyResultLab handles both formats automatically: it reads every .dcm file in the folder, extracts each slice (whether from single-slice or multi-slice files), uses slice-position metadata to rebuild the full 3D volume, and groups slices into the correct series. That is why uploading the complete folder matters — the AI needs all slices for accurate 3D analysis, not just one image.
Troubleshooting
I cannot see the folder upload option.
Make sure you use a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari. Older browsers may not support folder upload.
My files fail to load.
Check that the files use the .dcm extension — the most common standard. A small number of systems use other extensions.
The series looks wrong.
This usually means the metadata inside the .dcm files is incomplete or corrupted. Ask the imaging center for a fresh copy of the scan data.
I only see one file.
It may be a ZIP package. Extract it first, then upload the whole folder.
Privacy Notes
When you use the MyResultLab DICOM viewer, files are opened and processed locally in your browser for viewing. DICOM metadata may include sensitive information such as patient name, patient ID, date of birth, study date, or institution name. If you ever share the scan folder with anyone, remember that your name, ID, and birth date are stored inside this metadata.
Ready to Analyze Your Scan?
Now that you understand the basics of DICOM files, upload your scan folder and get an AI explanation in minutes.
Upload your DICOM files