[Chest radiography: ROC phantom study of four different digital systems and one conventional radiographic system].
OBJECTIVE
To compare the diagnostic quality of five different radiographic systems used in chest radiography for visualization of differently configured, clinically relevant pathologic pulmonary structures.


METHODS
Four digital detector systems using as detection unit a CsI/aSi-based flat panel detector, a transparent imaging plate, a selenium detector and a conventional storage phosphor plate were analyzed for this study, as well as an asymmetrical film-screen system. The analyzed imaging material consisted of radiographs of an anthropomorphic chest-phantom with superimposed simulated pulmonary structures. The images were evaluated for different pathologic structures by a newly developed multiple structure ROC (ms-ROC).


RESULTS
The performance of each system was found to have a strong structure-related variability. The flat panel detector system had the best overall performance. The theoretical advantage of the 4k-matrix of the transparent imaging plate over the 3k-matrix of the flat panel detector was only confirmed for reticular structures.


CONCLUSIONS
In addition to comparing the image quality of the different systems, this study shows that the performance of a radiographic system depends on the structure to be analyzed. The modified ROC (ms-ROC) provides valid results with less effort.
Redlich
U
U
Klinik für Diagnostische Radiologie, Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg,Germany. ulf.redlich@medizin-uni-magdeburg.de
Reissberg
S
S
Hoeschen
C
C
Effenberger
O
O
Fessel
A
A
Preuss
H
H
Scherlach
C
C
Döhring
W
W
D006801:Humans; D015588:Observer Variation; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D012372:ROC Curve; D011856:Radiographic Image Enhancement / Q000295:instrumentation; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic / Q000379:methods; D014963:X-Ray Intensifying Screens