subject: Digital Xray [print this page] Digital radiology, or digital xray, essentially substitutes the use of a digitized image for the traditional x-ray film that is the product of x-ray machines. To do this, a digital image capture device receives the x-rays that have passed through the patients body part and sends it to a computer that interprets the gathered data and produces the digital file. Digital radiology has several advantages over tradition x-ray:
Because it bypasses the photo processing step, it is more time efficient;
Because the product is a digital file, it can be readily sent directly to the caregiver over the local intranet or through secure internet anywhere in the world;
The digital file is easily enhanced, thus making the process more forgiving to under- and overexposure; and
Less radiation is needed to produce a useable image.
There are two general types of digital captures devices. The flat panel detector (FPD), like a photo plate, receives the x-ray energy after it passes through the patients body part, but then, rather than imprinting the image on film directly, creates an electrochemical process that can be interpreted by a computer and translated into an image. The other type, the high density line scan detector, detects and records the x-ray energy, is scanned by a laser diode, and the resulting data is once again interpreted into a useable image by a computer. The FPD variety of digital capture is currently the most common.
Digital radiology has been hailed as the most significant advancement in medical imaging in the past decade. Caregivers can review images on a computer screen instantaneously and simultaneously in disparate locations. They can also provide a copy of the image to their patients on a CD to provide to another physician. The film-processing darkroom can be eliminated as well. If a print is needed, a printer similar to a common laser or thermal printer can provide this output. Also, since film is no longer needed, the cost of purchasing film is saved, which is a significant saving over the life of the device.
