Single exposure simultaneous acquisition of digital and conventional radiographs utilizing unaltered dose

We describe the simultaneous acquisition of digital and conventional radiographs with a single standard radiographic exposure. A digitizable storage phosphor (ST Imaging Plate, FujiTM) is sandwiched into a radiographic cassette (X-Omatic, KodakTM) behind a conventional radiographic film-screen combination (Lanex medium screens, OC film, KodakTM). The barium fluorohalide storage phosphor is digitized with a helium-neon laser scanner (TCR 201, ToshibaTM), and the conventional radiograph is processed in the standard fashion (M7B, KodakTM). The storage phosphor is exposed by the "wasted" radiation normally exiting the back of the film-screen combination (32% of the cassette entrance dose at 141 kVp). At a standard exposure (6.3 mAs), the conventional radiograph is of unaltered quality, and the digital image appears to have an adequate signal-to-noise ratio for chest studies despite the lower exposure dose. This technique produces twin images of identical spatial and temporal registration and avoids the added radiation exposure normally required to carry out comparative studies.