title: An assessment of a film enhancement system for use in a radiation therapy department.
abstract: The clinical uses of a radiotherapy film enhancement system are explored. The primary functions of the system are to improve the quality of poorly exposed simulator and portal films, and to perform comparisons between the two films to determine whether patient or block positioning errors are present. Other features include: the production of inexpensive, high quality hardcopy images of simulation films and initial portal films for chart documentation, the capacity to overlay lateral simulation films with sagittal MRI films to aid in field design, and a mode to zoom in on individual CT or MRI images and enlarge them for video display during chart rounds or instructional sessions. This commercially available system is comprised of a microcomputer, frame grabber, CCD camera with zoom lens, and a high-resolution thermal printer. The user-friendly software is menu driven and utilizes both keyboard and track ball to perform its functions. At the heart of the software is a very fast Adaptive Histogram Equalization (AHE) routine, which enhances and improves the readability of most portal films. The system has been evaluated for several disease sites, and its advantages and limitations will be presented.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, University Hospital, State University of New York, Stony Brook 11794-7028.
authors.forename: E L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Solowsky
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Reinstein
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Meek
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009684:Nuclear Medicine Department, Hospital; D010781:Photography; D011873:Radiology Information Systems; D011880:Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D012984:Software; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed