Investigation of image lag and modulation transfer function in fluoroscopy images obtained with a dynamic flat-panel detector.

Digital imaging with a dynamic flat-panel detector (FPD) is commonly used in clinical practice. However, several factors reduce the accuracy of target tracking in fluoroscopic imaging, including image lag and blurring. There have been several reports focusing on the modulation transfer function (MTF), noise power spectrum (NPS), and detective quantum efficiency (DQE) in different types of FPD. However, there have been no studies comparing image lag and MTF properties in dynamic images obtained with indirect- and direct-conversion FPDs. We investigated the image lag and MTF under several imaging conditions in fluoroscopic images obtained with an indirect-conversion and a direct-conversion FPD system. The measurements of image lag and MTF were obtained under several conditions according to IEC 62220-1-3 standards. We examined whether the image lag and MTF were influenced by the dose level and target movement speed. Indirect-conversion FPD showed dependence on the dose level, which was not observed for direct-conversion FPD. Furthermore, there were large differences in MTF between images of static and moving plate with indirect-conversion FPD in comparison to the differences observed with direct-conversion FPD. These results will be useful for the determination of imaging conditions for target tracking and other types of dynamic imaging.