World Health Day: Black and white images are a relic? Not in medicine!

On this occasion, however, we would like to raise an issue that is slightly different from the proposed topic - the problem of diagnostics and medical imaging.

Black and white further in fashion!

A significant portion of examinations (such as general radiology or mammography) generate monochrome images. X-ray images are the "roots" of digital radiology, when images were displayed on monochrome monitors instead of on a negatoscope. This sped up diagnosis, facilitating the flow of data in electronic form between units and eliminating all the nuisances of chemical film processing.

With the development of display technology, the results of examinations are becoming clearer, and some details are enhanced by color elements. Therefore, we see a trend toward equipping radiology labs with color monitors with a "black and white" option - with a DICOM Part14-compliant display mode. However, in some cases it makes sense to stay with monochrome displays.

But why? After all, any color monitor can display a monochrome photo.

The problem is that all gray levels are obtained from "mixing" the three primary colors: green, red and blue. Such is the "physics of the process", a color monitor must "fold" gray. This carries with it many potential problems.

• First: the dominance of one of the primary colors (usually red), so the gray is not neutral and this can cause discomfort to the doctor who analyzes the test result. This symptom is usually due to inaccurate pre-calibration of the monitor at the production stage.
• Second: occurring subtle "borders" of one of the primary colors along the letters or dividing lines. This is due to the way the matrix displays.

These problems, which go unnoticed when using the monitor in typical office/home applications, can be disturbing when making a diagnosis - and monochrome monitors, which provide no color coatings applied to the LCD screen, are the answer. The image they display is "clean" and accurately reproduced. It gives a sense of greater depth to the image. The grays are natural, with no discoloration or banding. Many doctors rightly prefer to work on monochrome monitors.

To meet these expectations, Jusha will continue to produce monochrome monitors: 2 MP, 3 MP and 5 MP, for years to come.