Principles of Computed

Radiography
 Computed Radiography
• a “cassette-based” system that uses a special
solid-state detector plate instead of a film
inside a cassette.
• The use of CR requires the CR cassettes and
phosphor plates, the CR readers and
technologist quality control workstation, and a
means to view the images, either a printer or
a viewing station.
 Computed Radiography System
• Three major components
• Phosphor Imaging Plates
– To acquire x-ray image projections
• PIP Reader (scanner)
– To extract the electronic latent image
• Workstation
– For pre and post processing of the image.
 Historical Perspective
• 1973 – George Luckey, a research scientist filed
a patent application titles Apparatus and
Method for Producing Images Corresponding
to Patterns of High Energy Radiation.
• 1975 – George Luckey patent (USD 3,859,527)
was approved and Kodak patented the first
scanned storage phosphor system that gave
birth to modern computed radiography.
 Historical Perspective
• 1980’s – a lot of companies applied for a patent in
George Luckey’s invention.
• 1983 – Fuji Medical Systems was the first to
commercialize and complete the CR system
• In the early 1990s, CR began to be installed at a
much greater rate because of the technological
improvements that had occurred in the decade
since its introduction.
• The first system consisted of a phosphor storage
plate, a reader, and a laser printer to print the
image onto film.
 Structure and Mechanism
• The CR cassette contains a solid-state plate
called a photostimulable storage phosphor
imaging plate (PSP) or (IP) that responds to
radiation by trapping energy in the locations
where the x-rays strike.
 Structure and Mechanism
• Photostimulable Luminescence
• It refers to the emission of light after stimulation of a
relevant light source or when exposed to a different light
source
 Imaging Plate
• It is house in a rugged cassette that appears
similar to screen- film cassette.
• It is handled in the same manner as a screen
film cassette.
Imaging Plate
 Imaging plate
Protective layer: This is a very thin, tough, clear
plastic that protects the phosphor layer from
handling trauma.
 Imaging Plate
Phosphor layer: This is the active layer. This is
the layer of photostimulable phosphor that
traps electrons during exposure. It is typically
made of barium fluorohalide phosphors.
 Imaging Plate
Reflective Layer - This is a layer that sends light in
a forward direction when released in the cassette
reader. This layer may be black to reduce the
spread of stimulating light and the escape of
emitted light
 Imaging Plate
Conductive layer: This layer grounds the plate to
reduce static electricity problems and to absorb
light to increase sharpness.
 Imaging Plate
Support layer: This is a semirigid material that
provides the imaging sheet with strength and is
a base for coating the other layers.
 Imaging Plate
Backing layer: This is a soft polymer that
protects the back of the cassette. The radiation
dose from a CR
Imaging Plate
• Cassettes contain
barcode label on the
cassette or on the
imaging plate through a
window in a cassette.
• Label enables
technologist to match
information with
patient identifying
barcode.
 CR Image Processing
1. When the Photostimulable phosphor or the (PSP)
screen is exposed to x-rays, energy will be absorbed by
the phospor crystals.
2. After the exposure the IP is inserted into a CR reader
3. The IP is processed by a scanning system or reader
which
1. Extracts the PSP screen from the cassette
2. Moves the screen across a high intensity scanning
laser beam
3. Blue violet light is emitted via PSL
4. Light energy is read by the photomultiplier tube, in
which converts the light into an electric signal.
 CR Image Processing
4. The electronic signal is converted into a digital
format for manipulation, enhancement, viewing
and printing if desired.
5. The PSP screen is erased by a bright white
light inside the reader, reloaded in the cassette
and is ready for the next exposure.
• The white light dumps all the remaining excess energy
traps allowing the plates to be reused
Computed Radiography Acquisition
 Latent Image Formation
1. The incident x-ray beam interacts with the
photostimulable phosphors that are in the
active layer of the imaging plate.
2. The x-ray energy is absorbed by the
phosphor and the absorbed energy excites
the europium atoms.
3. The electrons are raised to higher energy
state and are trapped in a so called
phosphor center in a metastable state
 The CR Reader
• The CR reader is composed of mechanical,
optical and computer modules.
 Mechanical Features
• When the CR cassette is inserted into the CR
reader, the IP is removed and is fitted to a
precision drive mechanism.
• There are two scan directions
– Fast Scan
• The movement of the laser across the imaging plate
• Aka “scan”
– Slow Scan
• The movement of the imaging plate through the reader
• Aka “translation or subscan direction”
 Optical Features
• Components of the optical subsystem include
the laser, beam shaping optics, light collecting
optics, optical filters and a photodetector.
• The laser is used as the source of stimulating
light that spreads as it travels to the rotating
or oscillating reflector.
 Optical Features
• The laser /light beam is focused to a reflector by a lens
system that keeps the laser diameter about 100um
• Using Special Beam optics allow the shape of the beam
to be constant size, shape, speed and intensity
• The laser beam is deflected across the IP.
• The reader scans the plate with red light in a zigzag or
raster pattern
• The emitted light from the IP is channeled into a
funnel of fiber optic collection assembly and is
directed at the photo detector, PMT and Photodiode
or CCD and send it to the ADC.
 Computer Control
• The output of the optic collection assembly is a
time varying analog signal that is transmitted to a
computer system that has multiple functions .
• The analog signal is processed for amplitude scale
and compression.
• It shapes the final signal before the image is
formed.
• The analog signal is digitized in consideration of
proper sampling and quantization.
 Computer Control
• The image buffer usually is a hard disc. This is
the place where a completed image can be
stored temporarily until it is transferred to a
workstation for interpretation or to an
archival computer.
 Visible Image Formation
1. The CR Cassette is inserted to the CR Reader
2. The CR reader automatically extracts the imaging
plate from the special cassette
3. A finely focused beam of infrared light with a beam
diameter of 50 to 100um is directed to the PSP.
4. The energy of the laser light is absorbed at the
phosphor centers and the trapped electrons are
released.
5. The released electrons are absorbed by the europium
atoms that will release Blue violet Light from
europium (photostimulable luminescence)
 Visible Image Formation
6. Analog to Digital Converter (ADC) will
converts released light energy to a digital signal.
7. Digital Signal is reconstructed by the
computer system with special soft wares into a
gray scale image that can be seen on the
monitor or printed.
8. Imaging plate is scanned with a high intensity
to remove any excess energy.
 Film Screen Radiography VS Computed
Radiography
FILM CR
EXPOSURE MEDIUM FILM IMAGING PLATE

PROCESSING DARK ROOM CONDITIONS NO DARKROOM CONDITIONS

AND CHEMISTRY REQUIRED OR CHEMISTRY REQUIRED

PROCESSING TIME 8 MINUTES 1-3 MINUTES

EVALUATION FILM VIEWER COMPUTER WITH VIEWING
ANALYSIS SOFTWARE

ARCHIVING FILM ARCHIVE ROOM PC CLOUD/REMOTE

(HUMIDYD AND NETWORK SERVER
TEMPERATURE CONTROLLED

AVAILABILITY UNIQUE MASTER COPY UNLIMITED COPIES WITH

POSSIBILITY TO ACCESS TO
ANY LOCATION
 Direct Digital Radiography
• Most digital radiography (cassette-less)
systems use an x-ray absorber material
coupled to a flat panel detector or a charged
coupled device (CCD) to form the image.
• DR uses an array of small solid state detectors
to convert incident x-ray photons to directly
form the digital image.
• DR system is that no handling of a cassette is
required as this is a “cassette-less” system.
 Direct Digital Radiography
• DR can be divided into two categories: Indirect
capture and direct capture.
• Direct capture converts the incident x-ray
energy directly into an electrical signal.
• Indirect capture digital radiography devices
absorb x-rays and convert them into light.
 CR DR

Cost Inexpensive to Moderate Expensive

Size Portable but generally Portable for field use or static

practice based for practice use

Processing 1-3 minutes Real time

Plate Phosphot screen in cassette Amorphous Silicon Connected

to the computer

Evaluation Computer w/ viewing analysis Computer w/ viewing analysis

software software

Archiving To PC archive, external To PC archive, external

hard-drive or DVD hard-drive or DVD