Digital radiography of the spine, large bones and joints using stimulable phosphor. Early clinical experience.

The value of digital radiography in musculoskeletal disorders was investigated by assessing its ability to depict anatomic structures and common radiologic features as compared with the conventional film-screen combination. The digital image that was frequency modified was superior to conventional films in delineating soft tissue structures and for areas with large attenuation differences. The conventional film-screen system was superior in depicting small anatomic structures and in identifying the zone close to prostheses. This was explained by the high spatial resolution of the conventional film system and the disturbing halo effect around the prosthesis seen with digital images. The halo effect is an overshoot caused by the unsharp masking operator, which was in this series not changed for individual examinations. The exposure (radiation dose) could be reduced to 50 per cent using the digital system, without any loss of information.