Notebook Four

Computed Radiography systems (CR) are different from DR systems in that they
use a photostimulable storage phosphor imaging plate. This plate is typically located
inside of a cassette. This system requires a reader to process the PSP (phosphor plate)
and create the image. Creating the image is a two step process. The radiographer is
required to move the detector between acquiring the image and then displaying the image.

Photostimulable Imaging Plates (PSP)

This plate is a rigid sheet with several layers that are designed to record and enhance
transmission of the image from a beam of ionizing radiation. There are six layers in this
plate:
Protective layer
Phosphor layer
Conductor layer
Support layer
Light-Shield layer
Backing layer
Protective layer:
This is a plastic material that insulates the imaging plate from handling trauma
Phosphor layer:
This layer holds the photostimulable phosphor, which is the active component in the
plate. The most common phosphor materials used are barium fluorohalide bromides
and iodides with europium activators (BaFBr:Eu and BaFI:Eu)
Conductor layer:
This is the layer that grounds the plate to eliminate electrostatic and to absorb light
to increase sharpness.
Support layer:
This is a base to coat the other layers
Light-Shield layer:
This layer prevents light from erasing data on the imaging plate or leaking through
the backing, which would decrease the spatial resolution.
Backing layer:
This is another protective layer that goes on the back of the plate

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1. Protective Layer
2. Phosphor Layer
3. Conductor Layer
4. Support Layer
5. Light-Shield Layer
6. Backing Layer

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Acquiring the Image:
The imaging plate is put in the cassette and it can be used tabletop or with a grid.
Radiation exposure causes fluorescence of the imaging plate but some of the energy of the
beam is also stored in the plate. This stored energy is used to create the image during
reading and processing. Some of these electrons, which are excited by the stored energy,
are trapped in the crystal structure of the phosphor at higher energy levels. The latent
image is then stored in the imaging plate. The radiographer then takes the plate to be read
and the image will be released. From there the radiographer will be able to manipulate the
digital image and then send it off.

Latent Image Production:

The incident x-ray beam produces a latent image within the photostimulable
fluorohalides that comprise the active layer of the imaging plate in the cassette. When the
fluourohalides luminesce, they do not release all of the energy absorbed from the x-ray
beam. Some light is emitted, but the phosphors retain sufficient energy in the form of a
latent image. This is the image that is used to create the digital image once it is
processed.
The latent image is created by energy transfer during photoelectric interactions. The
photoelectrons that are produced, excite a number of low-energy electrons to create
holes in the crystal phosphor. About half of these electron holes will recompose and emit
light photons, then the fluorohalides will hold or trap the other half of electrons. This creates
the holes at the europium sites. These europium electron holes are what create the latent
image.
*The latent image will lose about 25% of its energy in hours, so it is
important to process your cassette as soon as possible.*

Reading CR Data:
Reading the plate involves a red laser beam. This laser beam frees the trapped
electrons allowing them to drop to a lower-energy state, and this is what is referred to as
photostimulated luminescence (PSL). Electrons that drop to a lower-energy state release
blue-purple light photons in proportion to the absorbed radiation. The laser beam reads the
plate and collects the data in a raster pattern, which means it reads it from top left to
bottom right, like we read books. The light that is freed from the imaging plate is emitted in
all directions and is collected by an optical system that directs it to one or more
photodetectors, commonly photomultiplier (PM) tubes or linear CCD array, Which are
sensitive to the blue light.
These photodetectors convert the visible light into an electronic signal whose output
is in analog form. In order for the computer to be able to read this signal, it must be
converted to digital. An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) takes the analog signal and

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converts the signal to digital where the computer can process and work with the image
information.
Anything left on the imaging plate is erased by exposure to an intense light to
release any remaining trapped electrons. This is an important process, because we do not
want anything showing up on our next image that is not supposed to be there. It can impact
the next image and cause a patient to be double radiated.
The laser beam that scans each line of the imaging plate correlates to one line
spacing or pixel pitch. Pixel pitch is defined as the physical distance between pixels and is
usually measured from center to center. The analog signal emitted by the PM tube has an
infinite range of values that the ADC must convert into limited discrete values that can be
stored as digital code. Pixel bit depth or the number of bits that represent an analog signal
will determine the number of density values. There is typically 10bit, 12bit, and 16bit density
values for the analog signal and thus the grayscale of the system. So, the number of
bits/pixels will determine how many density values can be present, which will affect the
density and contrast of an imaging system.
Pixel size, matrix, and bit depth determine the size of the computer file for a given
image. In order to correctly change the analog signal to a digital signal, the analog signal
must be sampled in order to find the location and size of the signal, then it must be
quantified to determine the average values of the signal, and then the brightness levels or
grayscale for the pixels will then be determined.

CR Processor Image

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