title: Development of a digital duplication system for portable chest radiographs.
abstract: To provide high-quality duplicate chest images for the intensive care units, we have developed a digital duplication system in which film digitization is performed in conjunction with nonlinear density correction, contrast adjustment, and unsharp mask filtering. This system provides consistent image densities over a wide exposure range and enhancement of structures in the mediastinum and upper abdominal areas, improving visibility of catheters and tubes. The image quality is often superior to that of the original radiograph and is more consistent from day to day. Repeat rates for portable chest radiographs have been reduced by more than a factor of two since implementation of digitization in December 1991, and the number of repeat examinations caused by exposure errors have been substantially reduced.
authors.affiliation: Kurt Rossmann Laboratories for Radiologic Image Research, Department of Radiology, University of Chicago, IL 60637.
authors.forename: K R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Doi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: MacMahon
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Giger
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Nishikawa
authors.forename: X W
authors.initials: XW
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kano
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carlin
mesh_terms: D003199:Computer Systems; D003308:Copying Processes; D003720:Densitometry; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D011327:Printing; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011856:Radiographic Image Enhancement; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic; D011873:Radiology Information Systems; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014962:X-Ray Film