Relative effects of resolution and quantization on the quality of compressed medical images

Medical image scanners produce digitized information at different spatial resolutions, and this affects the perceived image quality after image compression. Quality of decompressed medical images is assessed by the extent to which diagnostic information is affected by compression, and the medical interpretation requires participation of medical experts in observer studies. We undertook a study to investigate the effect of resolution from digitization on medical image compression, in the context of enabling image transmission using low to moderate bandwidth telecommunication facilities. The test material consisted of a series of adult chest radiographs containing multiple subtle abnormalities. In this paper, the effects of sampling resolution and frequency component quantization on image quality are compared, and issues for further investigation in general image compression are discussed