Re: Kodak X-ray film lowers radiation dose

[JGinniver@AOL.COM]

In a message dated 5/8/04 6:37:28 pm, Peter.Vernig@MED.VA.GOV writes:





> Film is passé and will probably soon be all but obsolete in this country.  

> Digital imaging is here now and we switched over a year ago in radiology.

> 



I did have an interesting discussion with a Senior Medical Physicist 

recently. It would appear that our regional Health Authority (Health Board) is moving 

towards replacing traditional film with digital imaging, for all the reasons 

mentioned previously.  However the concern of the medical physics department 

was to ensure that it is possible to obtain the same degree of clinical detail 

in the digital image as is currently achievable on film.   To this end they had 

been working toward producing tests and test pieces that could be used 

routinely to demonstrate that the necessary level of detail is obtained during 

digital radiography.   As someone else has already identified (John Jacobus a.k.a 

crispy_bird) digital imaging still has some way to go to match the image 

quality of film.   



I'm sure that medical physicist in my local health board aren't alone in 

trying to establish how small a fracture or defect can be seen on a digital image. 

  Can any of our friends on the medical side shed more light on this issue?



Regards,

     Julian