Digital radiography exposure indices: A review

Abstract

Digital radiography (DR) technologies have the advantage of a wide dynamic range compared to their film-screen predecessors, however, this poses a potential for increased patient exposure if left unchecked. Manufacturers have developed the exposure index (EI) to counter this, which provides radiographers with feedback on the exposure reaching the detector. As these EIs were manufacturer-specific, a wide variety of EIs existed. To offset this, the international standardised EI has been developed by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM). The purpose of this article is to explore the current literature relating to EIs, beginning with the historical development of the EI, the development of the standardised EI and an exploration of common themes and studies as evidenced in the research literature. It is anticipated that this review will provide radiographers with a useful guide to understanding EIs, their application in clinical practice, limitations and suggestions for further research.

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“…However, as illustrated in the graph, the EI values spread over a range of values rather than being close to some specific target value. A number of factors contribute to this variation in EI value, including variable collimation 35 and segmentation by the EI algorithm. There is also the known dependence of EI with patient thickness: 36 patients with different thickness and anatomy will produce a change in the beam quality, which then influences the EI value.…”

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“…In Press(In Press):e107258. the system during post-processing procedure in computer and digital imaging (18,21). As the head of the humerus or the mandible are depicted as extremely white, it can reduce the contrast of other areas of the image during rendering.…”

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“…Son muy útiles las dosis de referencia publicadas. Familiarizarse con los factores de exposición para evitar la sobreexposición; los fabricantes deben implementar los nuevos parámetros de exposición de la IEC 16 Es de gran utilidad conocer estos parámetros en cada prueba, que deberían grabarse en el almacenamiento de imágenes DICOM para poder visualizarlas. Los fabricantes se comprometieron, en el Image Gently Digital Radiography Summit de 2010, y ha sido publicado, a adoptar los parámetros IEC 17 muchos estudios pediátricos puede limitarse la cobertura exclusivamente al área anatómica de interés, intentando evitar el solapamiento y reduciendo así la dosis de radiación.…”