Clinical experience in the use of photostimulable phosphor radiographic systems

The experience with CR systems gained at the three institutions described in this report demonstrates numerous advantages over the conventional screen-film system. These include: (1) a reduction in the radiation exposure delivered to the patient (25% to 50%); (2) a decrease in the number of repeat examinations needed, especially in portable units where technical difficulties are common with screen-film examinations; this is attributable to the linear, wider dynamic range of CR systems compared with screen-film combinations; (3) the capability to archive electronically all images by means of a digital optical storage system; (4) automatic electronic setting of the laser scanner for the latitude and sensitivity on each image; (5) the digital images are available for transmission to all image display workstations on a local or wide-area network; and (6) the ability to adjust interactively the display parameters to best depict images and pathology as well as salvage technically suboptimal examinations. Several disadvantages of CR systems compared with conventional screen-film examinations have also been identified.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)