title: Clinical utility of high-resolution portal films.
abstract: We have evaluated the film quality and overall clinical utility of a unique high-resolution portal film system which utilizes high contrast graphics art film. A total of 127 unselected patients had their conventional portal films and high-resolution films of the same site, compared and graded subjectively for a variety of parameters by an independent panel of radiotherapists and radiographers. Although consistent improvements in most aspects of image quality were noted, improved overall clinical usefulness of the high-resolution portal film system in comparison to the conventional films, when subjected to multiple regression analysis, was confined to lateral neck views only. High-resolution portal film utility was also found to depend significantly on field size with areas less than 110 cm2 having a markedly worse clinical utility score.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Newcastle Mater Misericordiae Hospital, Waratah NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Hamilton
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Piyaratna
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Ferguson
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Callaghan
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Denham
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D011856:Radiographic Image Enhancement; D011878:Radiotherapy; D014962:X-Ray Film