[Image quality and exposure dose in digital projection radiography].
OBJECTIVE
Comparison of the imaging capabilities of storage phosphor (computed) radiography and flat plate radiography with conventional film-screen radiography to find new strategies for quality and dose management, i. e., optimizing imaging quality and dose depending on the imaging method and clinical situation.


METHODS
Images of a CDRAD-phantom, hand-phantom, abdomen-phantom and chest-phantom obtained with different exposure voltages (50 kV, 73 kV, 109 kV) and different speeds (200, 400, 800, 1600) were processed with various digital systems (flat plate detector: Digital Diagnost [Philips]; storage phosphors: ADC-70 [Agfa], ADC-Solo [Agfa], FCR XG 1 [Fuji]) and a conventional film-screen system (HT100G/ Ortho Regular [Agfa]).


RESULTS
The evaluation of CDRAD images found the flat plate detector system to have the highest contrast detectability for all dose levels, followed by the FCR XG 1, ADC-Solo and ADC-70 systems. Comparison of the organ-phantom images found the flat plate detector system to be equal to film-screen radiography and especially to storage phosphor systems even for low exposure doses.


CONCLUSIONS
Flat plate radiography systems demonstrate the highest potential for high image quality when reducing the exposure dose. Depending on the system generation, the storage phosphor systems also show an improved image quality, but the possibility of a dose reduction is limited in comparison with the flat plate detector system.
Busch
H P
HP
Krankenhaus der Barmherzigen Brüder Trier, Abteilung für Radiologie, Trier, Germany. h-p.busch@bk-trier.de
Busch
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Decker
C
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Schilz
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D006225:Hand / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011835:Radiation Protection; D011856:Radiographic Image Enhancement / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D011860:Radiography, Abdominal; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic; D014963:X-Ray Intensifying Screens