[Digital radiography: from storage phosphor plates to direct detector systems]

All three currently commercially available systems for digital radiography of the chest such as the selenium drum, storage phosphor plates and the flat panel direct detector systems provide an excellent image quality that is at least equivalent or superior to that of conventional film. Reasons for that are the continuously improved detective or dose efficiency of the detector systems and an improved image processing. The new direct detector systems have the largest potential for dose reduction while storage phosphor and selenium radiographs are usually obtained with a dose comparable to that of a 400 speed system. Improved image processing algorithms allow for the production of digital images that are adapted to the conventional image characteristics within the lung regions combined with an increased transparency of the high absorption areas such as the retrocardial and retrodiaphragmatic regions.