Optimizing Medical Image Contrast, Detail and Noise in the Digital Era

Use of digital imaging within all of the medical imaging modalities and methods provides many advantages and values to the practice of clinical medicine. However, the use of digital technology, digital image structure, and the ability to process digital image data in many ways add additional complexity to many imaging procedures. All medical imaging professionals, including radiologists, technologists, and medical physicists must be knowable and experienced with digital imaging in order to obtain maximum values from modern imaging technology and procedures. A common characteristic of all procedures that produce digital images is that the human body is divided into many discrete samples or voxels which are then represented by pixels in the image. The structure of the digital image, especially the voxel/pixel size, has a significant effect on image quality and visibility of structures and objects within the body. The optimization of medical imaging procedure protocols and selection of technique factors requires a comprehensive knowledge of digital image structure, impact on image quality, and the concept and practice of optimization. Keywords— Digital Images, image quality, protocol