CR systems utilize phosphor storage plates in place of film. Their flexible plastic plates are coated with X-ray sensitive material that is “wiped” clean as the image is scanned into your computer and then reused thousands of times. No changes in X-ray exposure settings should be required. If so, it would be to reduce the kV settings and less power required.
Computed Radiography (CR) uses very similar equipment to conventional radiography except that in place of a film to create the image, an imaging plate (IP) made of photostimulable phosphor is used. The imaging plate housed in a special cassette and placed under the part or object to be examined and the x-ray exposure is made. Hence, instead of taking an exposed film into a darkroom for developing in chemical tanks or an automatic film processor, the imaging plate is run through a special laser scanner, (CR reader) that reads and digitizes the image. The digital image can then be viewed and enhanced using software that has functions very similar to other conventional digital image-processing software, such as contrast, brightness, filtration and zoom.
Imaging Plates - Imaging plates can theoretically be re-used thousands of times if they are handled carefully. IP handling under industrial conditions, however, may result in damage after a few hundred uses. An image can be erased by simply exposing the plate to a room-level fluorescent light. The laser scanner (selectable) automatically erases the image plate after laser scanning is complete. The imaging plate can then be re-used. Reusable phosphor plates are environmentally safe but need to be disposed of according to local regulations.
The CR imaging plate (IP) contains photostimulable storage phosphors, which store the radiation level received at each point in local electron energies. When the plate is put through the scanner, the scanning laser beam causes the electrons to relax to lower energy levels, emitting light that is detected by a photo-multiplier tube, which is then converted to an electronic signal. The electronic signal is then converted to discrete (digital) values and placed into the image processor pixel map.
