ABSTRACT
Digital radiography helps to overcome fundamental problem of varying exposures in bedside radiography. Image processing of digital chest radiographs allows one to adjust partially for the regional differences in absorption and to enhance the contrast of specific structures within the lung. Digital chest radiography can be adjusted so that these areas of lower contrast are altered to become regions of higher contrast, while leaving the contrast of the lungs nearly unchanged. In digital chest imaging, lack of visible noise in the mediastinum should alert the radiologist that the edges of tubes and lines may be obscured, too much noise indicates underexposure. On both screen-film and digital chest radiographs, pneumothoraces may be difficult to detect. Digital chest radiography is a method by which a chest radiograph is obtained as or converted into computer-readable form. Image processing is the computer manipulation of digital image data done with the goal of enhancing image quality.
