matlab-read-medical-data
Read, write, and manipulate medical imaging data (DICOM, NIfTI, NRRD) in MATLAB. Covers Image Processing Toolbox functions (dicomreadVolume, niftiread, dicomContours, dicomanon) and Medical Imaging Toolbox enhanced APIs (medicalVolume, medicalImage, medicalref3d, extractSlice, updateOrientation). Use when reading medical files, listing DICOM series, extracting spatial referencing, changing orientation, working with RT structures, or anonymizing DICOM data. Some features require Medical Imaging Toolbox — see skill body and references for details.
npx skills add matlab/matlab-agentic-toolkit --skill matlab-read-medical-data --agent claude-code
Same command for any agent — swap --agent for codex, cursor, copilot.
Weekly change comes from our own snapshots, not the repository page — it measures attention, not adoption.
# Read and Write Medical Data Read, write, and manipulate medical imaging data in MATLAB. This skill covers both Image Processing Toolbox (IPT) functions and Medical Imaging Toolbox (MIT) enhanced APIs. ## When to Use - Reading or writing DICOM, NIfTI, or NRRD files - Listing DICOM series with `dicomCollection` - Extracting spatial referencing or coordinate transforms - Changing volume orientation or extracting oriented slices - Working with DICOM RT structures (contours, masks, modify/write) - Anonymizing DICOM data ## When NOT to Use - Displaying or visualizing volumes (use `matlab-display-volume` skill) - Displaying 2-D medical images with annotations (use `matlab-display-image` skill) - Reading non-medical image formats (PNG, TIFF, JPEG) — use `imread` ## Toolbox Detection — CRITICAL FIRST STEP **Always check which toolboxes are available before choosing an approach.** If Medical Imaging Toolbox is installed, prefer its APIs. If only Image Processing Toolbox is available, use IPT patterns. ## Task → Function Quick Reference | Task | IPT only | With Medical Imaging Toolbox (preferred) | |------|----------|------------------------------------------| | Read single DICOM file | `di
- When to Use
- When NOT to Use
- Toolbox Detection — CRITICAL FIRST STEP
- Task → Function Quick Reference
- Top 4 Patterns
- 1. Read DICOM folder
- 2. Read NIfTI file
- 3. List DICOM series and read one
- 4. Extract slice / change orientation (Requires Medical Imaging Toolbox)
- Detailed Reference Files
- Legacy Patterns to Avoid
- Conventions
What does the matlab-read-medical-data skill do?
Read, write, and manipulate medical imaging data (DICOM, NIfTI, NRRD) in MATLAB. Covers Image Processing Toolbox functions (dicomreadVolume, niftiread, dicomContours, dicomanon) and Medical Imaging Toolbox enhanced APIs (medicalVolume, medicalImage, medicalref3d, extractSlice, updateOrientation). Use when reading medical files, listing DICOM series, extracting spatial referencing, changing orientation, working with RT structures, or anonymizing DICOM data. Some features require Medical Imaging Toolbox — see skill body and references for details.
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add matlab/matlab-agentic-toolkit --skill matlab-read-medical-data --agent claude-code` — it drops the skill into your project so the agent can pick it up. Swap the --agent value for codex, cursor or copilot if you use one of those.
Where does this skill come from?
From matlab/matlab-agentic-toolkit, a repository with 868 stars. We read it straight from the repository tree rather than a submitted listing, so what you see here is what is actually published.
Is a popular skill a good skill?
Not necessarily. Stars measure attention, not adoption — a repository can trend for a week and be abandoned. That is why we show the weekly change from our own snapshots next to the total, instead of a single flattering number.