Also in the prototype stage was a mobile PACS viewer of sorts. Many other vendors also have PACS viewers -- non-diagnostic, of course, as the FDA won't yet allow diagnostic reads on mobile devices. But this one throws an image from an iPad onto a diagnostic workstation with one click (it passes the credentials of the doctor instantly to the workstation: only one sign-in required).

Dr. Jeffery Yu, a radiologist from The Queen's Health System in Honolulu, was interested in the demonstration and had a few suggestions -- such as adding the referring physician's name to images on the master list. The key thing was the speed at getting what you want to see. "How many clicks is it for me to find that image?" he asked.

The future of these products is up in the air, of course. McKesson said both products were born of a program where company engineers -- much as with Google -- are free to spend 10 percent of their work time on personal projects. Some of these ideas never really go anywhere, but others have enough of a business case to attract funding and go on to successful launches, the company said.

Sectra: Virtual autopsies

On display at Sectra's booth was a gadget you'd expect to see on a future episode of "CSI": a virtual autopsy table. The rotating table is essentially a very large, almost cadaver-sized touch screen hooked up to a PACS server. It lets forensic scientists or doctors quickly examine 3-D reconstructions of computed tomography images.




At the show, Sectra showed visitors the CT scans of a man who succumbed to multiple stab wounds. Using various filters, you could see the smashed ribs, the gashes cut by the knife in the skin, and even air pockets left as the flesh closed around the hole made by the blade.

The Swedish company says the device, which was shown at the European College of Radiology conference in Vienna earlier this year, is not meant to replace autopsies, but rather to help scientists figure out the best way to start cutting into the cadaver without destroying evidence.

The device will also be marketed toward university hospitals and trauma centers. A Sectra spokesman said in trauma cases multiple teams often need to consult over the best course of treatment. The device is made in a way to accommodate consultations from large numbers of people: the screen's icons can be made to obey physics, so you can pass them across the board to a colleague or even crash them against each other if you're feeling bored.

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