High-speed, single-screen/single-emulsion film systems: basic imaging properties and preliminary clinical applications.

We investigated the potential clinical use of single-screen/single-emulsion film systems by comparing their relative speeds, modulation transfer functions (MTFs), Wiener spectra, and H & D curves with those of conventional screen-film systems. The relative speeds of single screens with single-emulsion Kodak OM film (single systems) were 50-60% lower than those of the conventional double screens with double-emulsion Kodak OG film (double systems), but the single systems yielded a 75-110% increase in the MTF at 2 cycles/mm. The single system had a noise level comparable to or slightly greater than that of the double systems. Phantom images and preliminary clinical radiographs indicated that single systems can improve image resolution over that obtainable with double systems under the same exposure conditions. More importantly, the use of a single system provided an approximately 40% reduction in patient exposure while providing a comparable radiographic image quality.