Clinical aspects of direct digital mammography

Since 1990, computed radiography (CR) has been used routinely in our symptomatic mammography service, imaging approximately 2,000 patients per year. Careful selection of the appropriate image processing parameters results in high-quality images of diagnostic value equivalent to conventional film-screen mammograms. Problems encountered included dust artifacts, black films, and white films, but these constituted only a very small proportion of images obtained and the remedies are discussed. Hard-copy reporting is used and improved image presentation is considered. New processing algorithms and the development of soft-copy reporting at dedicated workstations are expected in the near future.