In DR workflow, which statement correctly describes the difference between CR and DR?

• A. CR requires scanning a photostimulable phosphor plate to release stored energy, causing a processing delay.
• B. DR requires scanning a phosphor plate to release stored energy, causing processing delay.
• C. Both CR and DR require scanning a phosphor plate with the same delay.
• D. DR uses film-screen digital conversion during exposure.

Answer: (A)

The difference lies in how the image data are read out after exposure. In CR, the latent image is stored on a photostimulable phosphor plate. To obtain a digital image, that plate must be scanned by a laser in a CR reader, which releases the stored energy as light and converts it to a digital signal. This readout step creates a processing delay between exposure and image display. In DR, the detector itself directly converts X-ray energy into a digital signal and sends it to the computer, so there’s no separate plate scanning step and the image is available much more quickly.

So the correct statement reflects that CR requires scanning the phosphor plate to release stored energy, causing a processing delay. The other options don’t fit because DR does not involve scanning a phosphor plate, DR does not rely on film-screen conversion during exposure, and the delays are not the same for CR and DR.