X-rays Have Gone Digital
From cameras to cable, it seems as if everything has gone digital and the medical field is no different, especially when it comes to radiography.
In digital radiography digital X-ray sensors are used to record images rather than photographic film. When radiologists take an X-ray digitally, they use flat electronic pads or sensors in the place of film. The X-rays hit the pad the same way they would hit film, and the image is electronically sent to a computer rather than being sent out to a dark room to be developed. The image appears on the computer screen where it can then be stored or printed out. By using a digital image capture device, images can be recorded as digital files that are easily accessed for physician interpretation as well as conveniently saved in the patient’s medical records.
There are many advantages of X-ray images being recorded digitally rather than on film. First, rather than waiting for images to be chemically processed, they are available to preview immediately. This means that they can also be quickly examined, deleted, or corrected. Images that come out overexposed or underexposed need to be corrected, with digital X-rays radiologist are able to enhance the overall display of the image by applying special image processing techniques. Images which used to be kept at a single location can now be sent to a network of computers. No longer do physicians have to wait days to get their patient’s X-rays back, and they can view requested images within minutes of the examination itself. By using digital X-rays health care facilities are able to reduce the costs associated with X-ray film processing, managing, and storing. Patients also receive the benefits of digital X-rays. They are exposed to less radiation during the procedure as not as much radiation is used to produce images that are similar in contrast to normal radiography. Patients can now also easily transfer their own X-rays when they want to visit another doctor or hospital simply by having them stored on a compact disc.
Another great advantage of digital X-rays is subtraction radiography. Using a specialized projection technique and additional software, these types of radiographs can conveniently be compared to previous radiographs. This means that the computer digitally compares the two images and subtracts everything in the images that are the same. Physicians are then able to clearly see everything that is different, meaning that even the smallest of changes may be caught earlier than they would be using film X-rays.
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