Irreversible medical image compression: conditions of acceptability

Acceptance of irreversible image compression applicable to medical imagery is controversial in the medical community. The influence of this irreversible process on degradation of diagnostic image features is considered and how to preserve diagnostic accuracy. Fears, doubts, the disadvantages of the data distortion process and the advantages of safe and efficient irreversible compression for image information storage and interchange are discussed. The effects of compression on various image exams are analysed. The conclusion is that irreversible compression is not to be afraid of, but its characteristics should be well understood before implementing it in current practice.