Technical and clinical assessments of an experimental flat dynamic X-ray image detector system

Advanced technical investigations, including DQE measurements and threshold contrast detail-detectability experiments, have been performed in order to demonstrate the superior image quality of an experimental flat dynamicX-ray image detector (FDXD) system. The dose efficiencies throughout a range of dose levels used in fluoroscopic and radiographic applications have been measured and are presented. Together with the results of a range of clinical patient examinations, the results of the technical investigations fully confirm earlier expectations in terms of increased image quality and improved dose efficiency with respect to current imaging modalities. Several mixed applications performed with the FDXD system are presented including those where subtraction techniques were used. The dynamic aspects of the FDXD system are discussed in detail. In the fluoroscopic mode, images have been acquired with a dose-rate as low as 5 nGy per image using a frame rate of approx. 25 fps. Low dose fluoroscopc images will be presented and it will be confirmed that low read out noise of the detection system facilitates the clinical acceptability of the images, even without applying any noise reduction algorithms. Post-processing algorithms for exposures will also be discussed. It can be concluded that the results of the technical measurements, together with the clinical examinations, prove that in areas regarding dose efficiency and image quality, this new detector technology is superior to the current X-ray modalities in many aspects.