In digital radiography, what process is primarily used to enhance image contrast?

In digital radiography, image processing algorithms play a crucial role in enhancing image contrast. These algorithms are designed to manipulate the data captured by the digital detector to improve the visibility of structures within the image. This can involve contrast enhancement techniques such as histogram equalization, edge enhancement, and various filters that target specific aspects of the image.

By applying these algorithms, radiologists can enhance the details that might be obscured due to low contrast, allowing for better detection of abnormalities or conditions. The process is dynamic and adjustable, catering to the specific diagnostic needs of each examination, which is a significant advantage of digital systems over traditional film-screen systems.

While exposure settings, film-screen systems, and patient positioning can all affect the quality of an image, they do not directly enhance contrast during image processing in the same way that image processing algorithms do. Adjusting exposure settings might determine how much radiation reaches the detector, and positioning the patient can optimize the view of the anatomy of interest, but the direct manipulation of the digital data to improve contrast is fundamentally achieved through sophisticated algorithms.