[Internet communication in radiology]

E-mail is an Internet service that can be used for sending messages and binary files between individuals as well as for participating in discussion groups. For sending and receiving these types of messages, the users must use either a dedicated e-mail client or one of the several mailing facilities of the World Wide Web. The news-groups enable like-minded people to discuss subjects on a group-wide basis, but access is generally not limited, and the participants cannot be selected.

The objective of this paper is to give radiologists an introduction to using e-mail, mailing lists and news-groups, the three most important communication services of the Internet. The function of these services is explained, and the advantages of implementing them in a radiology practice are discussed. Potential problems and concerns including security matters are highlighted, and ways in which they can be resolved are suggested.