Evaluation of a new type of direct digital radiography machine

Objective. To evaluate a recently developed low-dose, large-field, direct d igital X-rap scanning system for medical use. Method. Radiation dose, image quality, diagnostic capability and clinical u tility of the unit were compared with those of conventional radiography. Results. Radiation doses ranged from 3% to 5% of conventional radiographic values, and a mean of 1 line-pair per millimetre could be detected. Ease of use, anatomical coverage and tolerance to patient motion were advantages. However, image quality was inferior to that of conventional radiographs, wi th limited fine detail visibility and penetration. Only 67 of 156 (42.9%) p athological features seen on conventional radiographs were detected, includ ing 13 of 41 fractures(31.7%) and 11 of 18 pneumothoraces (61.1%). Conclusion. Although image quality and diagnostic performance were not idea l, potential roles in triage, foreign body detection and possibly screening were promising. Radiographic factors may have affected sensitivity This ma chine demonstrated useful attributes that may, with improvement, be benefic ial in the imaging of trauma and other patients.