Glassless flat panel detectors are a significant improvement over traditional glass models that were often prone to breakage. They were also heavier and couldn’t handle as much weight on them.
These new models are lighter, more durable, and can hold more weight than their predecessors. Because the glass is removed, the distance between the scintillator and detector is reduced, increasing sensitivity and producing higher-quality images.
In this article, we’ll examine this technology in more detail, how it works, and its numerous benefits over traditional glass models.
What Are Glassless Flat Panel Detectors?
Glassless flat-panel detectors are a special device used in digital radiography to detect X-rays, a form of electromagnetic radiation, in order to instantly create images on a computer or digital screen.
This new technology is a significant improvement that removes the fragile glass used in traditional detectors. Those traditional models were prone to breaking if they were dropped or when heavy weight was placed on them. The broken glass resulted in costly repairs of around $9000.
The removal of the glass makes them much more durable (but not indestructible), eases patient comfort, and reduces the distance between the scintillator and the TFT. This increases sensitivity to produce higher-quality images to aid in faster and more accurate diagnostics. They also typically use a lower dose of radiation than older models, improving safety for patients as well as the radiologists and technicians using them.
How Do Glassless Flat Panel Detectors Work?
Glass-free flat panel detectors work by detecting X-rays and converting them to light or sometimes to charge. They use a thin film transistor (TFT) array instead of glass, which is used in older models. The TFT array acts as a switch that turns each pixel on or off to create black-and-white images based on the X-ray information it receives.
It does this digitally via a DR (Direct Radiography) Panel that contains Cesium Iodine (CsI) crystals known as the scintillators or the scintillation layer. Depending on your application needs, DR panels come in either tethered or wireless models. For example, wireless models are typically preferred in hospitals since they reduce tripping and sterile-field safety hazards.
When the TFT array detects the X-rays, the information is aimed at the DR panel. The scintillation layer of crystals in the DR panel then absorbs the X-rays and produces visible light. While we do not see that light directly, it produces an image that is sent to a computer or a digital viewing screen. Using digital technology allows for immediate viewing by both the doctor and the patient, allowing for rapid diagnostics.
What Benefits Do Glass-Free Flat Panel Detectors Offer?
Thinner
Since the glass layer is removed, the distance between the scintillator crystals in the DR panel and the TFT array is reduced, making the entire module thinner and easier for the technicians and radiologists to maneuver.
Better Quality Images Creates Better Diagnostics
Because they reduce the distance between the scintillation layer and the TFT, they produce sharper, higher-quality images than the traditional models. Sharper images allow for better diagnostic accuracy and efficiency, even on body parts that are more challenging to image.
Lighter
Removing the glass layer also makes the detectors lighter than traditional models. It also makes it easier for radiologists and technicians to position them and change them out between procedures. Their lighter weight makes them much less prone to dropping, which could still result in damage, even without the glass.
More Durable
Removing the glass makes the detectors much more durable. They’re less likely to break if they are dropped than glass models, which broke too frequently since they were both heavier and more fragile. Without the glass, they also offer a much higher distributed load resistance and, therefore, can handle more weight placed on them than their predecessors could.
Patient Comfort
Since the detectors are thinner and sleeker, the entire procedure is quicker, which improves patient comfort and speeds up the process of getting in and out, providing better patient experiences.
Lower Radiation Exposure
These newer models typically use lower doses of radiation while creating higher-quality images. This reduces patient and technician exposure to radiation, making them safer but without sacrificing image quality.
Improves Exam Efficiency
The immediate preview and rapid cycle times dramatically improve efficiency. This allows the radiologists and technologists to see more patients daily, improving efficiency and reducing patient wait times. In addition to better patient experiences, rapid turnover is critical in high-volume clinics to improve workflow and emergency care clinics so patients can move from diagnostics to treatment.
Final Thoughts
Glassless flat panel detectors are the newest preferred technology in digital X-ray detectors. They use thin film transistors (TFT) without a glass layer to produce a more durable detector that is lighter in weight and less prone to breakage from dropping and from having weight placed on them.
They also produce a better quality image at a lower radiation dose than their predecessors and can be used with both wireless DR panels or with tethered DR panels, depending on your usage needs. The new technology improves patient comfort and exam efficiency. It will also allow for rapid and accurate diagnostics so you can help your patients feel better faster than before.
