Medical digitizers and modernization of medical institutions

May 2, 2021

Most people in highly developed countries do not encounter a traditional X-ray since most hospitals switched to digital X-ray format. Yet, there are countries where traditional wet-and-dry X-ray film is still a reality. In such situations, medical digitizers come to help. The film digitizers scan medical X-ray film images into computer systems with high accuracy for diagnostic PACS and teleradiology applications. It offers high-contrast sensitivity over a wide optical density range, reportedly providing accurate capture of subtle image detail even in dark or overexposed film images.The main manufacturers of digitizers are Agfa, Carestream Health (Kodak) and Vidar.
The demand for medical digitizers in developing countries shows steady growth during the last 2-3 years. The device is relatively affordable and does not require many funds for technical re-equipment. Some clinics in less developed countries decided to buy and share one digitizer in the club.

The main question remains: “Will digital technology replace traditional X-ray films?” Our answer is: “definitely, but it will time.” It is known that in the case of complicated diagnosis doctors prefer to use both digital and traditional techniques to clarify the diagnosis (especially in dynamics). In conclusion, we can all agree that the medical future belongs to digital technologies.