1. A method for performing column/row pattern suppression in a digital input image, comprising: a) dividing the input image into regions; b) selecting a region that has not been processed; c) generating a smoothed version of the input image in the selected region by averaging a set of columns/rows neighboring around a column/row being corrected; d) constructing a difference residual image in the selected region by subtracting the smoothed image from the input image in the selected region; e) computing new column/row intensities in the selected region from the difference residual image; f) constructing an output image in the selected region with suppressed column/row patterns by subtracting the new column/row intensities in the selected region from the input image in the selected region, including defining a maximum allowable correction amount and performing no correction on a column/row in the output image if the column/row average of the difference residual image exceeds the maximum allowable correction amount; repeating b) through f) until all of the regions of the input image have been processed; and combining all of the output images from all of the processed regions to generate an output image.