Conventional chest radiography vs dual-energy computed radiography in the detection and characterization of pulmonary nodules.
OBJECTIVE
We evaluated a single-exposure, phosphor-plate, dual-energy imaging device that produces, in addition to conventional chest radiographs, both tissue- and bone-selective images. Our purpose was to determine whether dual-energy radiography was more accurate than routine chest radiography for detection and characterization of pulmonary nodules.


METHODS
Two hundred patients undergoing chest CT were asked to volunteer to have dual-energy and conventional chest radiographs obtained immediately before or after their CT scan. Radiographs from a subset of 50 of these patients with 116 CT-detected nodules and 10 patients with normal findings on CT scans of the chest were presented to the observers for the nodule detection study. Similarly, radiographs from a subset of 29 patients with 20 calcified and 20 uncalcified nodules were presented to five observers to determine nodule calcification. Dual-energy images were produced by filtering the X-ray tube output with a gadolinium sheet while using a multiple phosphor plate receptor. A dual-energy triad of images consisting of a conventional image, a tissue-selective image, and a bone-selective image were produced. The conventional chest radiographs and dual-energy image sets were presented to observers in random order. Data from a free response receiver operating curve and a receiver operating curve were generated for nodule detection and characterization, respectively.


RESULTS
By using the dual-energy images, all five observers improved their ability to diagnose pulmonary nodules (p = .0005) and to characterize nodules as calcified (p = .005).


CONCLUSIONS
By eliminating rib shadows with tissue-selective images and enhancing calcified structures with bone-selective images, dual-energy chest radiography improved the ability of all observers, regardless of expertise, to detect and characterize pulmonary nodules.
Kelcz
F
F
Department of Radiology, University of Wisconsin, Madison 53792-3252.
Zink
F E
FE
Peppler
W W
WW
Kruger
D G
DG
Ergun
D L
DL
Mistretta
C A
CA
D005189:False Positive Reactions; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D015588:Observer Variation; D012372:ROC Curve; D015900:Radiography, Dual-Energy Scanned Projection; D012272:Ribs / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003074:Solitary Pulmonary Nodule / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*