Digital radiography in an intensive care unit.

Mobile chest radiographs obtained in the intensive care unit with a computed radiography system (one of the digital radiography systems) and a conventional screen-film technique were initially compared in 54 pairs. Features such as the air spaces and interstitium of the lungs, the mediastinum, pulmonary vessels, the tracheobronchial tree, and catheters and other devices were compared in both methods. The computed radiography system demonstrated good visualisation of the mediastinum, pulmonary vessels, the tracheobronchial tree, catheters and other devices. Automatic adjustment of the sensitivity and the wide dynamic range of this system were thought to be responsible for the decrease in the number of retakes even in patients with massive fluid collections. The few artefacts created by digital processing were mostly overcome by a routine use of simultaneous display of two different types of image processing.