Digital chest imaging using a selenium detector. A simulated diffuse interstitial pulmonary disease detection study.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the diagnostic performance of a new digital chest imaging system based on a selenium detector in the detection of simulated diffuse interstitial pulmonary disease (DIPD).


METHODS
Diffuse interstitial pulmonary disease was simulated by superimposing plastic sheets containing small radio-paque objects (birdseed) on an anthropomorphic chest phantom. the number of sheets was varied from 0 to 4 to simulate the degree of pathology. Eighty conventional radiographs and 80 images with the selenium detector were obtained under comparable conditions. Six observers were asked to indicate the presence of DIPD using a five-level scale of confidence. The total 160 chest images were analyzed using receiver operating characteristic curves.


RESULTS
There was no significant difference in detection performance between the conventional and the digital images (95% confidence interval).


CONCLUSIONS
None of the observers assessed the diagnostic performance of the digital chest images as significantly different from that of the conventional system. The interobserver differences were higher than the differences between digital and conventional chest images.
van Heesewijk
H P
HP
Department of Diagnostic Radiology, St. Antonius Hospital, Niuwegein (Utrecht), The Netherlands.
van der Graaf
Y
Y
de Valois
J C
JC
Feldberg
A M
AM
D006801:Humans; D017563:Lung Diseases, Interstitial / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D015588:Observer Variation; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D011856:Radiographic Image Enhancement / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D012643:Selenium
D012643:Selenium