NOTEBOOK 7

Digital vs. Film- Screen Radiography

DIGITAL FILM-SCREEN
MATERIAL CR: -gadolinium
-europium activated-Barium fluorhalide -lanthanum
(requires image processing thorugh a CR -Yttrium
reader) (requires chemical processing to retrieve
DR: latent image)
-amorphous silicon
(directly read and sent to storage or PACS in
about 8 seconds)
DENSITY -mAs no longer controls density -mAs controls density
FACTORS -images result in 10,000 gray levels -can display only approximately 30 shades of
- overexposure can be eliminated due to gray on a viewbox
digital post processing that eliminates the -Over exposure means that the image has
excess information. high optical density and the image appears
-in an underexposed image the detail was too dark
not recorded -an underexposed image means that it has too
low of optical density and appears too light

CONTRAST kVp no longer controls contrast -kvp controls contrast

FACTORS
SIMILARITIE -Latitude Dose Reduction! (Can always find S/F system that operates at same dose level
S as digital system)
DIFFERENCE -Multiple, different S/F systems needed to cover same exposure range as one digital
S system

ADVANTAGE -Post-processing can alter the image to remove (with an intensifying screen)
S superimposing anatomical structures
-Allows visualization of widely varying types of A screen can absorb 20-40 times
tissue more x-rays than film alone
-Excellent soft tissue differentiation
-Minimal delay in viewing image A single x-ray photon can cause
-Allows manipulation of image post processing the emission of about 1500 light
-Provides quantitative data analysis of tissue photons
attenuation characteristics
-No hard copy storage and retrieval costs
The same optical density can be
-A lower patient dose
achieved with smaller exposures
-lower repeat rates
(reduction factor 30-300) than
-higher contrast resolution than with radiographic
when film used alone
film emulsion
-Film-screen systems have a dynamic range of
30:1, Where DR has dynamic greater than 1,000:1
-No darkroom or film costs, image storage is more
Compared to digital, there are not as
efficient
many advantages to film-screen.
-DR has the ability to preprocess and postprocess
image for purpose of extracting more information
than what is visible
-Allows magnification of the image, image
annotation.
 NOTEBOOK 7

DISADVENT -Capital costs much higher for image receptors -Superimposition of anatomical
AGES -CR reader unit structures
-Workstation hardware and software -Difficult to visualize widely varying
types of tissue
-Poor soft tissue differentiation
-Delay in viewing image
-No changes in image following
processing
-Lack of quantitative analysis of
attenuation characteristics
- Storage and retrieval costs

IMAGE PRODUCTION
FILM-SCREEN COMPUTED RADIOGRAPHY DIRECT DIGITAL
(CR) RADIOGRAPHY
(DR)
Cassette placed Cassette placed Patient name selected from
worklist

Patient positioned Patient positioned Patient positioned

Exposure selected Exposure taken Exposure taken

Exposure taken Cassette transported to ID Image displayed on operator

station/reader console

Cassette taken to processing Image identified with patient ID Image reviewed

room

Film chemically processed Cassette inserted into reader Post-processing performed if

required

Film removed from processor Plate scanned Images archived for reporting

Film reviewed/ID confirmed Cassette removed from reader Hard copy printed if required

 NOTEBOOK 7

Film and completed Images displayed on workstation

requisition placed in an
envelope

Case submitted for reporting Images reviewed

Post processing performed if

required

Images archived into PACS for

reporting

In film-screen, an H&D Curve (D log E) is used to measure the sensitometric curve and
sensitometer. These are used to measure the amount of exposure and the result of density on
the film, and to measure the grays.

Digital uses Histograms. A Histogram is a graphical display of the pixel intensity distribution for a
digital image. A Histogram plots the number of pixels found at each pixel value.
 NOTEBOOK 7

FACTORS THAT AFFECT DENSITY/IR EXPOSURE:

mAs which is the controlling factor

kVp is the influencing factor
 NOTEBOOK 7

REFERNCES:

https://www.google.com/#q=definition+of+histogram+radiology&spf=73

https://www.google.com/search?
q=H+and+D+curve&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi4wMi7t9XTAhXpv1QKHYwO
BbAQ_AUIBigB&biw=1067&bih=867#imgrc=wGi2bjnT5lmojM:&spf=1

https://www.google.com/search?
q=histogram+radiology&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj9k-
CTudXTAhXmsVQKHdB5BtIQ_AUIBigB&biw=1067&bih=867#tbm=isch&q=change+in+mAs+radi
ology&imgrc=ZpxnHyHe79zOgM:&spf=414

https://www.google.com/search?
q=histogram+radiology&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj9k-
CTudXTAhXmsVQKHdB5BtIQ_AUIBigB&biw=1067&bih=867#tbm=isch&q=change+in+mAs+x+r
ay+comparison&imgrc=G-tn1eLXZND7OM:&spf=792