Laura Ramirez

February 14, 2017

RTE 142
Professor Yost
Notebook 4
Computed radiography (CR) uses a photostimulable storage phosphor imaging plate
(PSP) or (IP), typically inside a cassette. This cassette can be used in a bucky or for portable
exams, similar to traditional film/ screen.

A photostimulable phosphor imaging plate is a rigid sheet with several layers that are designed
to record and enhance transmission of the image from a beam of ionizing radiation. The layers
include a protective layer, a phosphor layer, a support layer made of polyester, a conductor layer,
and a light-shield layer. The imaging plate phosphor will absorb more low-energy scatter than
the rare-earth phosphor and film, which means appropriate kVp, collimation, and masking must
be used to achieve optimal images.
This also makes the imaging plate more sensitive to scatter both before and after it is sensitized
through exposure to the x-ray beam.

Image acquisition begins with exposure to the imaging plate. Because the imaging plate is
placed in a cassette, it can be used tabletop or with a grid, similar to the use of film/screen. The
imaging plate then needs to be read to release the stores information, which can be manipulated
by the computer and used in either soft-or hard-copy form.

The incident x-ray produces a latent image within the photostimulable fluorohalides that
comprise the active layer of the imaging plate (IP) in the cassette. When the
fluorohalides lumiesce, they do not release all the energy absorbed from the incident x-ray beam.
It is this latent image that will be used to create a digital image for the computer to record and
display. Europium electron holes are the actual latent image. This latent image is actually reated
by energy transfer during photoelectric interactions. The photoelectrons that are produced then
excite a number of low-energy electrons to create holes in the crystal phosphor. The europium
electron holes are the actual latent image. The latent image will lose about 25 percent of its
energy in 8 hour, so it is important to process the cassette shortly after exposure. Cassettes are
stored for several days after exposure and before processing lose most of the latent image. The
latent image is processed by loading the cassette into an image reader device (IRD) where the
imaging plate is scanned by helium-neon laser beam. When a plate is grossly overexposed it may
not erase completely. This results in a ghosting artifact on the next image.

Reading the imaging plate involves a finely focused red laser beam (670-690-nmwavelength)
that frees the trapped electrons, allowing them to return to a lower-energy state, referred to as
photostimulated luminescence (PSL). Another way to speed up the process and at the same time
obtain more information is to use a dual-sided PSP,which has a screen on both sides that can be
scanned and read simultaneously. The reading and erasing of an imaging plate can occur in a
single processor unit. The finelyfocused laser beam that scans each line of the imaging plate
correlates to one line spacing or pixel pitch. Pixel pitch is defined as the physical distance
between pixels and is generally measured from center to center. The analog signal emitted by the
PM tube has infinite range of values that ADC must convert into limited discrete values that can
be stored as digital code. The laser light beam is directed to the imaging plate through a series of
light guides; this beam must be monitored because the intensity of the blue light from the
imaging plate is dependent on the power of the laser beam. Scanning of the imaging plate by the
laser occurs in a raster pattern as the plate is fed through the processor. A raster pattern is the
method by which the data are collected from the imaging plate. Data collection begins in the
upper left corner, proceeds in a line to the upper right corner, then drops down line and repeats.
The light liberated from the imaging plate is emitted in all directions and is collected by an
optical system that directs it to one or more photodetectors, commonly photomultiplier (PM)
tubes or linear CCD array, which are sensitive to the blue light. The photodetectors convert the
visible light into an electronic signal whose output is in analog form. The reading and erasing of
an imaging plate can occur in a single processor unit. The larger units typically allow stacking
and loading of multiple cassettes for use in a large department, whereas a small processor will
only process one plate at a time and is typically used in an office or single room.

After the plate has been scanned and the data are sent to the computer it undergoes preprocessing
or initial image processing, which is where the raw image data are prepared according to
proprietary algorithms of the manufacturer . The appropriate anatomical menu is selected by
body part by the radiographer when the imaging plate is loaded into the reading unit. The data in
the imaging plate is located within the collimated edges in order to develop a histogram.

Grid use in CR occurs more often due to the sensitivity of the imaging plate to scatter.
The imaging plate is scanned line by line; if the scan frequency and the grid frequency are
similar and oriented in the same frequency are similar and oriented in the same direction, a moire
effect will be observed.

* Exposure Latitude- The range of exposures that can be used and still result in the capture of a
diagnostic-quality image.
* Exposure Index (EI) - A numeric representation of the quantity of exposure received by a
digital image receptor.
* Automatic Rescaling- Process by which images are produced with uniform brightness and
contrast, regardless of the amount of exposure.
* Window Leveling- Image manipulation parameter that changes image brightness on the display
monitor, usually through the use of a mouse or trackball.