Image digitizing in conventional radiology

Since early 1991 a new procedure has been tested at the Hôpital du St-Sacrement that uses a phosphorous plate instead of a standard x-ray cassette. The phosphorous plate is exposed to x-rays using standard equipment and is then read by a computer that transfers the resulting image onto either a plate or a cathode screen. This new technology lends importance to the radiology technician's role in image manipulation and determination of the ideal sensitometric curve for each x-ray examination. The technician can generate an image with adjustments in latitude and contrast, depending on the radiologist's needs and notwithstanding the technical parameter settings used during the x-rays.