Here we have compiled a list of Visual Studio Code extensions that can be useful when working with medical image data and related projects.
👀 Viewing images¶
These extensions allow you to directly view and interact with medical imaging files inside VS Code, eliminating the need to switch to an external viewer for quick checks.
| Extension | Purpose | Link |
|---|---|---|
| NiiVue | Interactive, hardware-accelerated viewer supporting NIfTI, DICOM, NRRD, meshes, and more. Excellent for neuroimaging and volumetric data. | VS Code Marketplace |
| MedView | Provides essential tools for image visualization, including brightness/contrast adjustment and basic transformations for single-slice DICOM and volumetric NIfTI. | VS Code Marketplace |
| Hex Editor | Useful for debugging and inspecting the raw binary structure of file headers (like DICOM tags). | VS Code Marketplace |
🗺️ Exploring data¶
| Extension | Purpose | Link |
|---|---|---|
| YAML (Red Hat) | Provides syntax highlighting, schema validation, and auto-completion for configuration files (like those used for training pipelines or model metadata). | VS Code Marketplace |
| Rainbow CSV | For colour coded tables and nice csv/tsv viewing | VS Code Marketplace |
🐍 Machine learning tools¶
Medical imaging analysis relies heavily on Python and machine learning frameworks. These are essential for any related project.
| Extension | Purpose | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Jupyter (Microsoft) | Notebook Integration. Allows you to open, edit, and run Jupyter notebooks directly within VS Code, crucial for data exploration and rapid prototyping in ML. | VS Code Marketplace |
🤝 Collaboration & documentation¶
Tools to ensure your code is clean and your documentation is easy to manage.
| Extension | Purpose | Link |
|---|---|---|
| GitLens | Enhanced Git Capabilities. Deep integration with Git, providing code authorship, revision history, and powerful comparison tools. | VS Code Marketplace |
| Markdown All in One | Markdown Productivity. Shortcuts, table of contents generation, and list editing features to speed up documentation and README creation. | VS Code Marketplace |