# Visual DICOM browser update

**URL:** https://discourse.slicer.org/t/visual-dicom-browser-update/45998
**Category:** Development
**Tags:** feature, dicombrowser, dicom
**Created:** [January 30, 2026, 1:07pm UTC](https://discourse.slicer.org/t/visual-dicom-browser-update/45998 "2026-01-30T13:07:31Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![Davide\_Punzo](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.slicer.org/davide_punzo/32/66104_2.png) [@Davide\_Punzo](https://discourse.slicer.org/u/Davide_Punzo)
#### Post date: [January 30, 2026, 1:07pm UTC](https://discourse.slicer.org/t/visual-dicom-browser-update/45998/1 "2026-01-30T13:07:31Z")

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Hey everyone, I have been working on major improvements to the visual DICOM browser:

## 🎯 What’s New

**Performance for large datasets (both remote and local)**

- Optimized for \>100GB databases

- Lazy thumbnail generation in background

- Use of model/views → batch model updates → less UI flickering and interactive filtering on local database

**Better Slicer Integration**

- New/cleaner UI with visual operation status

- Studies auto-sort by date (most recent first)

- Smart query prioritization (top 2 studies get high priority)

**and bug fixes**

See full list in links [section](https://discourse.slicer.org/t/visual-dicom-browser-update/45998#p-131649-links-4) below

## **📹 Videos**

Part 1 (below part 2, 3 and 4):

## 🔗 Links

**PRs:** CTK [#1326](https://github.com/commontk/CTK/pull/1326), [#1343](https://github.com/commontk/CTK/pull/1343), [#1345](https://github.com/commontk/CTK/pull/1345) | Slicer [#8866](https://github.com/Slicer/Slicer/pull/8866), [#8982](https://github.com/Slicer/Slicer/pull/8982)

**Roadmap:** [CTK #1230](https://github.com/commontk/CTK/issues/1230)

**Known Issues:** [#1344](https://github.com/commontk/CTK/issues/1344), [#1341](https://github.com/commontk/CTK/issues/1341), [#1340](https://github.com/commontk/CTK/issues/1340)

**Documentation** : [DICOM — 3D Slicer documentation](https://slicer.readthedocs.io/en/latest/user_guide/modules/dicom.html#visual-dicom-browser)

## 🧪 Testing

Available in latest Slicer preview.

Feedback is very welcome! @pieper @fedorov @lassoan @cpinter @ungi @Tina_Kapur

Davide

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<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![Davide\_Punzo](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.slicer.org/davide_punzo/32/66104_2.png) [@Davide\_Punzo](https://discourse.slicer.org/u/Davide_Punzo)
#### Post date: [January 30, 2026, 1:09pm UTC](https://discourse.slicer.org/t/visual-dicom-browser-update/45998/2 "2026-01-30T13:09:40Z")

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I had to split the video, follow part 2, 3 and 4: