Which statement about the imaging plate's response to exposure is true?

Which statement about the imaging plate's response to exposure is true?

• A. It immediately emits a visible image
• B. It cannot be read by a computer
• C. It requires chemical development like film
• D. It stores energy and remains excited until processed

Answer: (D)

In computed radiography, the imaging plate uses a phosphor that traps some of the x-ray energy in metastable states. That creates a latent image that isn’t visible right after exposure. The trapped energy isn’t released as light until the plate is processed by the CR reader, which uses a laser to stimulate the phosphor. As the trapped energy is released, it produces photostimulable luminescent light, and the scanner converts that light into a digital signal for viewing on a computer. After readout, the plate is erased and ready to be reused. This is why the statement about storing energy and remaining excited until processing is true. The other options are inaccurate because there’s no immediate visible image on exposure, the plate is read by a computer, and no chemical development is needed like with film.

In computed radiography, the imaging plate uses a phosphor that traps some of the x-ray energy in metastable states. That creates a latent image that isn’t visible right after exposure. The trapped energy isn’t released as light until the plate is processed by the CR reader, which uses a laser to stimulate the phosphor. As the trapped energy is released, it produces photostimulable luminescent light, and the scanner converts that light into a digital signal for viewing on a computer. After readout, the plate is erased and ready to be reused. This is why the statement about storing energy and remaining excited until processing is true. The other options are inaccurate because there’s no immediate visible image on exposure, the plate is read by a computer, and no chemical development is needed like with film.