Synopsis
This 3rd edition of Radiography in the Digital Age was peer-reviewed by five colleagues who brought many valuable corrections and improvements to the text. The entire textbook has been converted to metric units, and to Systeme International (SI) units for radiation biology and protection. This was done to make it more usable for an international community of educators, and to align with the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists' adoption of SI units in 2016. The ability of digital processing not only to generally compensate for scatter radiation, but to correct specific fog patterns in the image is more fully explained. Many crisp illustrations have been added, along with helpful tables and refinements to the text designed to make the entire presentation more student-friendly. Remarkable clarity and concise descriptions help the student with more complicated topics, especially in the digital domain. The practical limitations of digital features such as smoothing and edge enhancement are covered with their direct implications for clinical application. Several sections have been deleted, moved or reorganized to provide smoother transitions and development of the topics, with particular focus on the digital imaging chapters. Material on rescaling the digital image has been greatly strengthened, and new graphs have been added that make histogram analysis and errors mush easier to grasp. The comprehensiveness and detailed presentation of this book will deepen the collective conversation, challenge thinking, and give up-to-date tools that may be used today., Long overdue, this new work provides just the right focus and scope for the practice of radiography in this digital age, covering four entire courses in a typical radiography program. The entire emphasis of foundational physics has been adjusted in order to properly support the specific information on digital imaging that will follow. The paradigm shift in imaging terminology is reflected by the careful phrasing of concepts, accurate descriptions and clear illustrations throughout the book. There are 644 illustrations, including meticulous color line drawings, numerous photographs and stark radiographs. The two chapters on digital image processing alone include 60 beautifully executed illustrations. Foundational chapters on math and basic physics maintain a focus on energy physics. Obsolete and extraneous material has been eliminated, while concepts supporting digital imaging are more thoroughly discussed. All discussion of electricity is limited to only those concepts, which bear directly upon the production of x-rays in the x-ray tube. Following is a full discussion of the x-ray beam and its interactions within the patient, the production and characteristics of subject contrast, and an emphasis on the practical application of radiographic technique. This is conventional information, but the terminology and descriptions used have been adapted with great care to the digital environment. No fewer than ten chapters are devoted directly to digital imaging, providing extensive coverage of the physics of digital image capture, digital processing techniques, and the practical applications of both CR and DR. Image display systems are brought up to date with the physics of LCD screens and of electronic images. Chapters on Radiation Biology and Protection include an unflinching look at current issues and radiation protection in practice. The radiation biology is clearly presented with numerous lucid illustrations, and a balanced perspective on