Amorphous Semiconductors Usher in Digital X-Ray Imaging

Unlike other major medical imaging methods, such as computed tomography, ultrasound, nuclear medicine and magnetic resonance imaging—all of which are digital—conventional x-ray imaging remains a largely analog technology. Making the transition from analog to digital could bring several advantages to x-ray imaging: Contrast and other aspects of image quality could be improved by means of image processing; radiological images could be compared more easily with those obtained from other imaging modalities; the electronic distribution of images within hospitals would make remote access and archiving possible; highly qualified personnel could service remote or poorly populated regions from a central facility by means of “teleradiology”; and radiologists could use computers more effectively to help with diagnosis—work that has already been initiated at the University of Chicago by Kunio Doi and his coworkers.