Phase effects in diagnostic radiological images.

The effect of phase on the quality of diagnostic radiological images is investigated on a theoretical basis and with the use of the computer simulations. Phase effects are divided into two categories: linear phase shift and asymmetric phase shift. Using a model of the x-ray focal spot distribution composed of two Gaussian functions, it is shown that the phase transfer function (PTF) is generally a continuous nonlinear function of spatial frequency. The linear phase shift serves only to shift the location of the image. The asymmetric phase shift in the model studied tends to accompany an improvement in the modulation transfer function (MTF) in the midfrequency region while introducing "wows" into the image. Contrast reversals are shown to be inherent in line spread functions (LSFs) which do not necessarily include linear or asymmetric phase effects, i.e., they are the result of another phenomenon.