What Are the Benefits of Computed Radiography?
Since its discovery, the use of X-rays has revolutionized medicine. Unfortunately, radiology is not perfect considering the deadly radiation it produces. In an attempt to solve the problems posed by modern-day radiology, scientists have developed a replacement procedure known in the medical field as computed radiology. It is a relatively new science, and it has both its benefits and its disadvantages.
How it Works
Computed radiology replaces traditional film with a reusable imaging plate made of phosphor crystals. Images on the plates are created when the phosphor electrons are activated by conflict with X-rays. The resulting picture is then scanned by a laser beam and made into a visible image which is then visible on the partner computer. Then, computed radiology images can be saved to a computer hard drive or written to a DVD.
Benefits
One obvious benefit of computed radiation is that it is much "greener" than traditional X-ray procedures, considering used film does not have be discarded. Besides being greener, computed radiology exposes the patient to significantly less radiation. On top of this, the entire process takes less time than traditional radiology. This means that patients will be exposed to deadly radiation for less time. Another benefit of computed radiology is that darkrooms are not required to produce an image. This will allow hospitals to make better use of their lab space. A final benefit of computed radiology is the long lifetime of the system. Imaging plates are protected by a electron-beam-cured surface, making them extremely robust and durable.
Disadvantages
While computed radiology has its benefits, there are also disadvantages to using it. For one, this technology is very new meaning the start-up costs are still expensive. For some, the initial costs may not be too much for investing in a machine. For those with a large budget this will not be an issue, but many smaller hospitals will not be able to afford to alter their current radiology schemes to computed radiology systems. Besides starting costs, minuscule image details have not yet been perfected. Pictures of small bones produced from computed radiology are not as crisp as modern-day radiology. The improvement of computed radiology is expected to solve this problem, but for many this will be a reason not to purchase the system.

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