Computed Radiography (CR) is becoming more widely used and is steadily replacing conventional radiography. CR uses an imaging plate instead of a film-loaded cassette to obtain the image; the imaging plate is loaded into a CR reader and scanned. The images are displayed on a workstation monitor and can be digitally altered, transferred or stored. Though computed radiography is the gateway to digital imaging, it has both advantages and disadvantages.
Advantage: Cost
CR can be cost-effective for an x-ray department or medical office who wants to convert from conventional to digital radiography, since it can be implemented using current conventional x-ray equipment without spending additional money on new x-ray equipment. Also, there is no need for film. CR uses imaging plates that can be reused up to 40,000 times, thus eliminating the costs of expensive x-ray film and film processing. Once the image is obtained and scanned, the image plate is erased and the process can be repeated.
Advantage: Image Distribution
Because CR produces digital images, the images can be transferred easily and instantly to different departments in a hospital, such as the emergency department or the intensive care unit (ICU). In seconds, an orthopedic surgeon can see an image in the operating room that was taken in the x-ray department. The images can also be transferred to a CD, which the patient can take with him to a physician's office.
Disadvantage: Increased Radiation Exposure
Increased radiation exposure is undesirable and must be kept to a minimum. Noise, a commonly used word in radiology that refers to "graininess" on an image, occurs when a low radiation exposure is utilized. The way to reduce noise is to increase the exposure technique, which results in increased radiation exposure to the patient. The increased radiation exposure can also be attributed to exposure factor creep, which occurs when a technologist selects a higher exposure technique than is needed, due to factors associated with using CR.
Disadvantage: Technologist Complacency
With the advances in image quality and post-processing achieved by CR, radiologic technologists can compensate for exposure technique inaccuracies by adjusting the technique during the post-processing phase of the images rather than at the time of exposure. This is a disadvantage as it can encourage complacency rather than accuracy with exposure techniques, which can result in overexposed or underexposed images.
Tags: exposure technique, radiation exposure, imaging plate, increased radiation, increased radiation exposure, occurs when, rather than
