Is it possible?

It depends. You haven't offered much information - so there is no real answer, yet.

What kind of disk is it... Floppy, CD, DVD, etc

Can you read the disk at all?

If you can read the disk, then which Windows program would normally read the files?

What is the file extension on the files? (i.e. JPG, TIFF, etc )

What happens if you click on the files? Does your computer display a message? What is the message?

 

Osirix?

 

As stated above, depends on file type. Most likely there is a Mac program that can manage the file if it's somewhat common, but if it is specific to a Windows only program you may be forced to either get to a Windows machine or install Windows (full version) via Bootcamp.

Edit: You may also be limited by your Mac's hardware if it's a DVD, for example, and you don't have a DVD capable machine (MBA or rMBP) and don't own an external.

 

The problem here it seems it is burned in a PC only format and the Mac can't read it, even a VM might be a problem, you found it out yourself it does not work.
Now, maybe you have more luck installing Windows in Bootcamp but I doubt it, I think the Optical drive is not capable to read the Disk.
The hospital should burn the disk in a readable file for most OS's, you could go back and ask if they put it on a USB stick which you have to bring of course.

 

If it fits your Mini then it probably is a DVD or a CD disc.
It very likely is a very simple fix. It may be as simple as putting the CD in the other way round. It is possible you are putting the CD in upside down. Or it is possible the hospital made a mistake and gave you a new (blank) CD instead of the CD with the x-rays.

I believe that if you put a CD into your Mac that has file format or a document that it can't read, it will tell you that it can't read the document (the x-ray in this case) or the disc. The blank disc message means it simply can't find anything on the disc, including a file system. This would occur with a new, empty, unwritten CD disc. Or perhaps the if the disc was inserted upside down. Try flipping the disc first, and then if that doesn't work you will either need to take the disc back to the hospital - or get someone else to try to open it.

There is one other possibility... your disc drive may be broken or dirty. So, before you tell the hospital they gave you a blank disc you will need to see if someone else can open it.

Good Luck.

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With respect, but I doubt this is the case. The vast majority of CDs are burned with a common format. Macs know just about all the common Windows formats, even if they can't read them. They will however pop up a message with some clues. A Mac's optical drive is the same drives used in PCs, so a VM could absolutely use the optical drive to read any weird Windows only file formats.

 

Unless it is re-writeable disk, in this case it is software bound. If you don't end a writing session so you can re-write, you must have the software used to read it.

 

He already did that, and it worked:

"... the info is there (a friend with a PC had no problem), ..."​

I agree that the disc drive itself may be broken or dirty.

To test this, insert a known-good disc, such as an audio CD, or a movie DVD. The Mac should recognize it. If it offers to eject or format, then try another known-good disc. If both fail, then the problem is almost certainly the drive. One option at that point is an external CD/DVD drive, connected via USD. They aren't that expensive, and may well cost less than repairing or replacing the builtin drive.

Or as TheEasterBunny mentioned, it may be that the disc wasn't burned correctly (session closed). That's harder to test for, and if the disc drive is broken or dirty, isn't testable at all. So determine the quality of the disc drive first, then when the drive is known-good, test the disc as necessary.

Personally, I suspect the disc drive. A Mac mini with Lion is probably at least a couple of years old, and if the CD/DVD drive hasn't been used much during that time, it may have failed with no indication. If the mini runs for long periods of time, the fan pulls in air through the drive slot, so dust can easily accumulate.


FWIW, I've gotten Xrays on CD-R in both JPEG and TIFF formats (.JPG and .TIF suffixes). The TIFF ones came with a Windows app on the disc. I had no difficulty reading the disc in my Core Solo Mac mini at the time. Didn't need any special software; Preview.app worked fine.