What are three advantages of digital x rays over film

Digital radiography is a key development in diagnostic imaging that can help improve patient care, support better patient outcomes, expand consultation capabilities, and enhance client interaction. It has become the gold standard in the veterinary industry for over 15 years. It started as a very costly (>$100K) investment when first launched, but as it has become more mainstream, the modality has become more affordable.

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Digital X-rays versus traditional X-rays
6 reasons digital X-rays are better than traditional X-rays
1. Less radiation
2. Immediate results (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
3. More accurate and highly detailed images
4. Convenient file sharing
5. Improved security
6. The greener option
Digital X-rays available at Excel Diagnostics & Nuclear Oncology Center

Here are the principal advantages over film-based radiography:

Image Quality
Cost Savings
Ease-of-Use
Fewer Retakes
Decreased Radiation Exposure

Image Quality
Getting a clear read from traditional film radiography isn’t always easy, whether it’s due to errors from patient movement, positioning, or exposure issues. Zooming and changing the appearance of the image is also impossible with film. If a veterinary practice has trouble consistently obtaining high¬ quality radiographic images using film, making the switch to digital radiography is a clear solution that pays for itself. DR is also much more forgiving than film due to the image processing algorithms. Practices can expect images with a balanced presentation of bone structures and overlapping soft tissue along with a realistic representation of the anatomy.

Cost Savings
Film, chemicals, and processing costs are expensive, not to mention your staff’s time that is required for developing film. Switching to digital radiography eliminates these outdated expenses. Plus, darkroom space and real estate used to archive radiographs can be converted for other uses. What’s more, digital radiography images are sent to a computer and viewable seconds after being taken, meaning technicians will spend less time on menial tasks like filing and retrieving films leaving more time for productive tasks.

Ease-of-Use
Digital radiography systems are much easier to use than film¬-based systems, therefore reducing the number of poor ¬quality radiographs due to technician and exposure errors. Digital technology is also much faster than conventional radiography, and computer software allows adjustment of brightness, contrast, zoom and pan to optimize both bone and soft tissue in one exposure. As long as the patient is positioned correctly, most everything else can be adjusted with a few clicks of a mouse or even gestures with your fingers on the viewing screen.

Fewer Retakes
Film radiography takes time to process. Each image can then only be assessed after it comes out of the processor and put on a light-¬box, but digital radiography can be viewed immediately. This instant access allows technicians to see if the patient is positioned correctly or if the exposure is balanced. With advanced features like creating shot lists and 3D position assistant placed at the technicians’ fingertips, users from novice to expert to can get more out of radiography than ever before.

Decreased Radiation Exposure
The safety benefits of digital radiography are twofold: First, fewer retakes mean fewer exposures, resulting in a decrease in radiation exposure to patients and staff. Second, current state-of-the-art digital sensors are more responsive than film so less radiation (up to 70%) is required to produce a digital image. Both staff members and patients benefit from lessened exposure to radiation with digital systems giving staff peace of mind.

Conclusion
Upgrading radiography equipment is a necessary investment if veterinary practices want to enhance diagnostics and improve efficiency. When chosen wisely, an investment in digital radiography more than pays for itself with increased efficiency, better diagnostics, and likely an increase in radiology caseload. There are virtually never regrets if the proper system is chosen. Digital radiography is already the industry norm, so whether you’re just starting to transition or you are looking to upgrade, the time is now.

When practices invest in today’s most advanced DR systems, DVMs enjoy higher quality images and more rapid diagnoses that come with greater confidence. Patients can get treatment faster, heal quicker and live happier, healthier lives.

If you’ve been referred for an X-ray here at Excel Diagnostics & Nuclear Oncology Center in Houston, Texas, you might wonder if you’ll receive a digital X-ray or a traditional film-based X-ray. Our team is happy to offer the most cutting-edge diagnostic imaging, and that includes digital X-rays. Below, Dr. Ebrahim Delpassand highlights the six advantages of digital X-rays.

Digital X-rays versus traditional X-rays

X-rays were invented in 1865 by Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, who first used X-rays to study lungs, the skeleton, and other organs. Since then, X-rays have been used to confirm a variety of health conditions, including broken bones, tooth decay, arthritis, osteoporosis, bone cancer, digestive tract conditions, lung infections, breast cancer, and an enlarged heart.

Traditionally, X-ray produced images printed on film. To produce an X-ray film, a radiographer positions your body between the X-ray machine and a film (radiograph). When the X-ray machine is turned on, the radiation passes through your body. Different body structures absorb the radiation differently. For example, fat and muscle show up as gray on the film. Harder structures, such as bone, appear white.

There’s no doubt that the invention of the X-ray greatly improved modern medicine, but like all aspects of medicine, there is always room for advancements. That’s where digital X-rays come into the picture.

Digital X-rays require the same process of targeting X-ray radiation towards a specific body part. However, instead of producing an image on film, the digital X-ray sensors are linked to a computer rather than a physical film.

6 reasons digital X-rays are better than traditional X-rays

Digital X-rays have several important benefits over traditional X-rays, including:

1. Less radiation

The exact amount of radiation that you’re exposed to depends on what type of X-ray procedure you need. Specialized X-rays can emit more radiation than a simple X-ray. Radiation is measured in millisievert (mSv). That being said, digital X-rays emit less radiation than traditional X-rays. That means you’re exposed to less radiation when you opt for a digital X-ray.

2. Immediate results (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Another advantage of digital X-rays over films is that there’s no need to process and develop any films. Your digital images are available immediately without any time needed to develop the film.

3. More accurate and highly detailed images

Digital X-rays produce images with better resolution, more clarity, and highly detailed images. Not only does improved clarity help improve diagnoses and shape your treatment plan, but the images themselves can be digitally manipulated or brightened using computer software. For example, digital images can be easily enlarged to examine one particular area in more detail.

In the not-so-distant past, physical X-ray films had to be mailed from one team to another. This can add to the treatment timeline, but it also increases the risk of loss or damage to the films. Digital files are shared easily and almost instantly between treatment teams.

5. Improved security

Digital X-ray files are easily shared 一 and easily protected. Our team stores your digital images on a secure external hard drive, so your images are protected from loss, theft, and damage. Not only is this more secure, but it also reduces the need to store physical files on-site.

6. The greener option

Film X-rays require physical films as well as chemicals to develop the images. Unfortunately, the chemicals used to process films are toxic, and they must be disposed of properly. These chemicals can leach into the environment if they aren’t disposed of properly. Even if the chemicals are discarded safely, there is still the waste associated with packaging and shipping the film and producing the films.

Digital X-rays available at Excel Diagnostics & Nuclear Oncology Center

Because of the many advantages of digital X-rays, our team uses them to detect abnormal bone growths, detect bone cancer or infections, and provide images useful for other diagnoses. We offer many types of X-rays, including specialized digital X-ray scans, such as the dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry DEXA bone density scan.

Questions? To learn more about your digital X-ray options at our Houston, Texas, office, use our online portal to schedule an appointment. You can also reach us at 713-300-4886.

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