Comparison between a screen-film system and a selenium radiography system. An ROC study using simulated thoracic lesions.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the diagnostic image quality of the hard copies of a commercially available selenium detector-based computed radiography system compared to that of a conventional screen-film system.


METHODS
Ten radiographs of an anthropomorphic chest phantom with simulated nodular and linear-reticular lesions were produced using either system. Each radiograph was subdivided into 15 fields containing zero lesions, one nodular lesion, one linear-reticular lesion, or both lesions. The total of 150 fields for each modality was reviewed by six radiologists, and receiver operating analysis was performed.


RESULTS
The conventional screen-film system performed significantly better for nodular lesions, whereas no statistically significant difference was found between the detection rates of both systems for linear-reticular lesions.


CONCLUSIONS
The better detection of nodules with the dedicated selenium detector can be explained by the higher dynamic range of the system. Detection of linear-reticular lesions was slightly but not significantly better with the screen-film system, but the detection rate of the selenium detector might be further improved with a different image processing technique.
Kotter
E
E
Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Freiburg University Hospital, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität, Germany.
Einert
A
A
Merz
C
C
Allmann
K H
KH
Altehoefer
C
C
Ghanem
N
N
Langer
M
M
D006801:Humans; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D012372:ROC Curve; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D012643:Selenium; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D014963:X-Ray Intensifying Screens
D012643:Selenium