Using the Ruler

Introduction

Use the Ruler option to measure the distance between two points, which can be vertical, horizontal, or diagonal.

Some modalities send a magnification factor. Because this is an optional value in DICOM, Synapse does not automatically include this value in the measurement calculation. This value can be manually applied using the calibration feature of the measurement.

Steps

  1. Right-click the image to display a context menu.
  2. Select Annotations > Ruler.
  3. Do one of the following:

    4. If you want to do this ...

    Complete these steps ...

    Create a diagonal measurement.
    • On the image, click and hold the left-mouse button at the point where you want to start the measurement.
    • Move the mouse to the point where you want to end the measurement.
    • Release the mouse button.

    Create a true vertical or horizontal measurement.

    • On the image, click and hold the left-mouse button at the point where you want to start the measurement.
    • Hold the CTRL key to snap the ruler to horizontal or vertical orientation.
    • Move the mouse to the point where you want to end the measurement for either a horizontal or vertical orientation.
    • Release the mouse button and CTRL key.

Note:

To assist in creating true, straight horizontal or vertical lines, the line will display in staggered stair-steps to guide the placement of the endpoint on the exact same X- or Y- axis value.

  1. Optional: After you create a ruler annotation, you can delete, move, resize, or change the measurement units of a ruler. See Manipulating Annotations.

Results

As you complete the Ruler annotation on an image, Synapse displays a length annotation value in an ordered list in the Results overlay. If you activated the Ruler annotation to create a length protocol measurement, the measurement value displays in the Protocol Panel and in Clinical Reporting Application. Hover over an annotation in the Results overlay or the Protocol Panel to highlight the annotation in the image.

Additional Options

Use any one of the following options to create a ruler:

  • Click Ruler on the icon menu.  
  • Ruler keyboard shortcut: R + left-click.

Related Topics

Calibrating the Ruler

Configuring Custom Shortcut Keys