Quantitative densitometric analysis using a commercially available handheld CCD digital camera.

We describe here a novel method that relies on a digital imaging device to perform densitometric quantitation of radiographs in the laboratory setting. Using fluorescent back-illumination and appropriate exposure settings, a commercially available handheld charge-coupled device (CCD) digital camera is used to acquire the image of the radiograph. Following acquisition, the image is downloaded by means of a serial interface to a personal computer. There, it is analyzed to ensure that the series of pixel intensities lie within the linear range and then quantitated using two-dimensional integration with local background substraction. Using a linear dot blot established with serial dilution of 32P and imaging with standard radiographic film, we found that images acquired using the handheld digital camera were comparable to those input with a desktop scanner in transmittance mode. Quantitative densitometric analysis showed similar linear results between the digital camera and the desktop scanner over the 16-fold linear response of the radiographic film, both of which were comparable to phosphor imaging over that limited range. These findings demonstrate that the ever-improving technology of handheld digital imaging should be added to the repertoire of techniques for quantitative densitometry.