Real-Time Performance Monitoring of Digital X-Ray Diagnostic Equipment Prior to Patient Admission

Abstract

In order to provide high-quality performance of X-ray diagnostic equipment and easy malfunction detection and maintenance, radiographer-oriented routine checks should be carried out. The aim of this article was to develop a simplified method for periodic technical inspection of X-ray machines and stability testing of equipment without using a specialized test object. The article presents the results of a theoretical and experimental study of a method of real-time performance monitoring of an X-ray diagnostic apparatus with a digital receiver with continuous operation of the department. The proposed method can be used for evaluation of the performance of a digital X-ray diagnostic apparatus by determining the parameters of a clear field image (an image that is obtained when there is no test object in the input plane of the receiver) and the subsequent evaluation of the output signal-to-noise ratio and the receiver transmission coefficient. An algorithm for the real-time performance monitoring of the digital X-ray diagnostic apparatus has been developed. The acceptable parameter variation ranges of key image parameters have been established using an expert method. The study shows the performance of the method and its simplicity.