Intensified tomography: enhancement of soft-tissue discrimination in conventional tomography of the brain. A comparison with computed tomography.

A new technique to enhance the conventional tomographic images of soft tissues such as the brain is described. The method, called intensified tomography, optimizes the information available from conventional tomography through the use of three modifications: a specially designed filter to attenuate selectively the x-ray beam at the source to compensate for the variable shape of the skull, an improved blurring movement to reduce system artifacts, and enhanced image contrast by the superimposition of several identical images on the same film or television screen. Intensified tomography was performed in 200 patients. Ten of these tomographic images later were compared with computed tomographic (CT) scans to confirm that the ventricles could be imaged with intensified tomography. An unexpected case of lenticulocapsular calcification was also demonstrated by intensified tomography and confirmed by CT. It is proposed that intensified tomography be developed as a preliminary screening technique to be used in places where CT is not readily available.