title: Comparison of the detectability of high- and low-contrast details on a TFT screen and a CRT screen designed for radiologic diagnosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the detection rate of fine details of a new thin-film transistor (TFT) grayscale monitor designed for radiologic diagnosis, compared with a type of cathode ray tube (CRT) screen used routinely for diagnostic radiology.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifteen radiographs of a statistical phantom presenting low- and high-contrast details were obtained and read out with an Agfa ADC compact storage phosphor system. Each radiograph presented 60 high-density (high-contrast) and 60 low-density (low-contrast) test bodies. Approximately half the test bodies contained holes with different diameters. Observers were asked to detect the presence or absence of a hole in the test body on a 5-point confidence range. The total of 1800 test bodies was reviewed by 5 radiologists on the TFT monitor (20.8 inches; 1536 x 2048 pixels; maximum luminance, 650 cd/m2; contrast, 600:1) and the CRT monitor (21 inches; P45 Phosphor; 2048 x 2560 pixels operated at 1728 x 2304 pixels; maximum luminance, 600 cd/m2; contrast, 300:1). The data were analyzed by receiver-operator characteristic analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For high-contrast details, the mean area under the curve rated 0.9336 for the TFT monitor and 0.9312 for the CRT monitor. For low-contrast details, the mean area under the curve rated 0.9189 for the TFT monitor and 0.9224 for the CRT monitor. At P <or= 0.05, no statistically significant difference could be detected between the 2 observational modalities for both (holes in high- and low-contrast disks) types of artifacts.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The TFT screen performs as well as CRT monitors for the detection of fine details in both high- and low-contrast environments. Further studies with images derived from clinical routine are necessary before safely using TFT monitors in clinical practice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Freiburg University Hospital, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität, Freiburg, Germany. eko@mrs1.uni-freiburg.de
authors.forename: Elmar
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kotter
authors.forename: Thorsten A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Bley
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Saueressig
authors.forename: Dagmar
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fisch
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Springer
authors.forename: Jan Torsten
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Winterer
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Schaefer
authors.forename: Mathias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Langer
mesh_terms: D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D012372:ROC Curve; D011856:Radiographic Image Enhancement / Q000295:instrumentation*; D014963:X-Ray Intensifying Screens