Screen-Film (SF) and Computed Radiography (CR) Systems for Medical Radiographic Imaging

Abstract

Although SF (screen-film) systems have long proven their merit in medical radiographic imaging, CR (computed radiography) systems have begun to win wide implementation because of the capabilities of digital medical imaging systems. This paper presents a technical comparison and discussion of SF and CR systems from the standpoint of medical image quality. Many papers have reported that CR images are clinically comparable to SF images in general radiography (with the exception of breast radiography), while papers on bedside chest radiography generally conclude that CR systems are superior to SF systems. Today, CR systems appear poised to advance hand-in-hand with other digital medical imaging technologies such as FPD (flat panel x-ray detectors), x-ray CT (computed tomography), and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), as well as with new PACS (picture archiving and communication system) installations.