Reduction of patient exposure using digital luminescence radiography

Purpose. To determine the minimum acceptable exposure for an adequate image quality using digital luminescence radiography (DLR) instead of screen-fil m system (SFS). Material and methods. The impact of different physical and technical parame ters on image quality and exposure was evaluated by obtaining radiographs o f a test phantom. Conventional and digital radiographs of a humanoid phanto m, an anatomical preparation or an animal were obtained using variable mAs. The image quality was rated by eight experienced radiologists using clinic al criteria of image quality. The image quality evaluation was analysed usi ng graphs. Results. The exposure could be reduced by 60% for skull radiographs, 57% fo r abdominal radiographs, and 25% for chest radiographs of premature infants when using DLR instead of conventional SFS. Conclusion. DLR provides adequate image quality with reasonably low exposur e.