In soft-copy diagnosis, medical images with a large number of matrices often need displaying of reduced images by subsampling
processing. We analyzed overall image characteristics on a liquid crystal display (LCD) depending on the
display condition. Specifically, we measured overall Wiener spectra (WS) of displayed X-ray images at the sub-sampling
rates from pixel-by-pixel mode to 35 %. A used image viewer took image reductions by sub-sampling processing using
bilinear interpolation. We also simulated overall WS from sub-sampled images by bilinear, super-sampling, and nearestneighbor
interpolations. The measured and simulated results agreed well and demonstrated that overall noise
characteristics were attributed to luminance-value fluctuation, sub-sampling effects, and inherent image characteristics of
the LCD. Besides, we measured digital MTFs (modulation transfer functions) on center and shifted alignments from subsampled
edge images as well as simulating WS. The WS and digital MTFs represented that the displaying of reduced
images induced noise increments by aliasing errors and made it impossible to exhibit high-frequency signals.
Furthermore, because super-sampling interpolation processed the image reductions more smoothly compared with
bilinear interpolations, it resulted in lower WS and digital MTFs. Nearest-neighbor interpolation had almost no
smoothing effect, so the WS and digital MTFs indicated the highest values.
Screen-film systems are used in mammography even now. Therefore, it is important to measure their physical
properties such as modulation transfer function (MTF) or noise power spectrum (NPS). The MTF and NPS of
screen-film systems are mostly measured by using a microdensitometer. However, since microdensitometers are not
commonly used in general hospitals, it is difficult to carry out these measurements regularly. In the past, Ichikawa et al.
have measured and evaluated the physical properties of medical liquid crystal displays by using a high-performance
digital camera. By this method, the physical properties of screen-film systems can be measured easily without using a
microdensitometer. Therefore, we have proposed a simple method for measuring the MTF and NPS of screen-film
systems by using a high-performance digital camera. The proposed method is based on the edge method (for evaluating
MTF) and the one-dimensional fast Fourier transform (FFT) method (for evaluating NPS), respectively. As a result, the
MTF and NPS evaluated by using the high-performance digital camera approximately corresponded with those evaluated
by using a microdensitometer. It is possible to substitute the calculation of MTF and NPS by using a high-performance
digital camera for that by using a microdensitometer. Further, this method also simplifies the evaluation of the physical
properties of screen-film systems.
Recently, the system called PCM (phase contrast mammography) came to be applied to clinical examinations. The PCM images are acquired as 1.75x-magnified images using small focal spot, then reduced to real object's size by image processing. The PCM images had the feature that edges of objects were enhanced. It was reported that the edges were enhanced because of refraction of X rays. We measured physical image characteristics of the PCM, to compare image characteristics of the PCM with those of a conventional mammography. Specifically, response characteristics to objects and noise characteristics in the spatial frequency domain were measured. As the results, compared with the conventional mammography, response characteristics of the PCM were high. If the placement conditions of objects were changed, response characteristics were also changed. And if the shape of objects was changed, response characteristics also were changed. Noise characteristics of the PCM were better than those of the conventional mammography. Furthermore, in order to investigate why edges of objects in the PCM images were enhanced, we simulated image profiles which would be obtained if X rays were refracted. And, we found the possibility that edge enhancements of the PCM images were based on refraction of X rays.
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