Unlike most imaging industries it is the customer base that determines the acceptable shelf life of medical images. Regulations that dictate the length of time medical images are stored are either nonexistent or vary from state to state. Typical practice is to retain radiographs7 to 30 years. While digital imaging provides positive attributes, such as the ability to quickly share images worldwide, film is still considered the legal archive in the medical industry. This is due in part to the fact that customers are concerned about irretrievability of digital electronic images as technology changes in the future. This paper will discuss the business drivers for the transition into digital medical imaging and the issues around digital image permanence.
Paula P. Calloway, "Unique Image Permanence Issues Faced in the Medical Imaging Field as it Transitions from Analog to Digital Output" in Proc. IS&T Int'l Conf. on Digital Printing Technologies (NIP17), 2001, pp 166 - 166, https://doi.org/10.2352/ISSN.2169-4451.2001.17.1.art00034_1