New QC Tools Released for Digital Projection Radiography

The US NEMA standards organization has published a new standard for medical imaging device manufacturers designing and manufacturing X-Ray equipment for projection radiography.

This new standard presents the minimum equipment requirements to facilitate quality control of Computed Tomography (CR) and Digital Tomography (DR) equipment at the facility level.

The new US National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA; Arlington, VA, USA) NEMA/MITA XR 30-2016 standard is intended for medical digital radiography, and medical X-Ray diagnostic imaging radiography. The standard was developed by the Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance (MITA; Arlington, VA, USA) Computed Radiography-Digital Radiography Group, in the X-Ray Imaging division of NEMA, and can be downloaded for free.

The NEMA/MITA XR 30-2016 standard includes methods to identify image-processing settings and validate the consistency of image processing settings over time, and image quality analysis. When using CR/DR equipment some image processing is needed for optimization of the characteristics of specific detectors and to provide enhanced image quality. Image processing methods and settings are often unique for each vendor and associated customization parameters are proprietary to each vendor. The standard is intended to help clinicians verify image processing settings that can be adjusted by them, or check what are the expected processing outcomes following software upgrades. The standard is also intended to help users meet safety and regulatory compliance requirements, and validated the performance of equipment performance cost-effectively.

Related Links:
National Electrical Manufacturers Association
Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance