[The Kodak AMBER imaging system--a new approach to lung imaging]

The exposure range of X-ray films is often too small for objects with large absorption differences. This holds true also for wide latitude films. The large absorption differences can be equalized with the Kodak AMBER Imaging System by means of local exposure control. The AMBER System is a variation of the slit technique, where the narrowly collimated beam is divided into 21 beam segments the intensity of which is controlled in relation to the absorption in the object. This results in radiographs which are well exposed in the lung parenchyma and the mediastinum. An AMBER System has been routinely used for chest radiography in the Klinikum Mannheim since April 1990. The radiographs with the AMBER-Systems show an improved image quality especially in the mediastinum and the thorax wall resulting in a gain in diagnostic information.