Comparison of LCD and CRT displays based on efficacy for digital mammography.
OBJECTIVE
To compare two display technologies, cathode ray tube (CRT) and liquid crystal display (LCD), in terms of diagnostic accuracy for several common clinical tasks in digital mammography.


METHODS
Simulated masses and microcalcifications were inserted into normal digital mammograms to produce an image set of 400 images. Images were viewed on one CRT and one LCD medical-quality display device by five experienced breast-imaging radiologists who rated the images using a categorical rating paradigm. The observer data were analyzed to determine overall classification accuracy, overall lesion detection accuracy, and accuracy for four specific diagnostic tasks: detection of benign masses, malignant masses, and microcalcifications, and discrimination of benign and malignant masses.


RESULTS
Radiologists had similar overall classification accuracy (LCD: 0.83 +/- 0.01, CRT: 0.82 +/- 0.01) and lesion detection accuracy (LCD: 0.87 +/- 0.01, CRT: 0.85 +/- 0.01) on both displays. The difference in accuracy between LCD and CRT for the detection of benign masses, malignant masses, and microcalcifications, and discrimination of benign and malignant masses was -0.019 +/- 0.009, 0.020 +/- 0.008, 0.012 +/- 0.013, and 0.0094 +/- 0.011, respectively. Overall, the two displays did not exhibit any statistically significant difference (P > .05).


CONCLUSIONS
This study explored the suitability of two different soft-copy displays for the viewing of mammographic images. It found that LCD and CRT displays offer similar clinical utility for mammographic tasks.
Saunders
Robert S
RS
Duke Advanced Imaging Laboratories, Departments of Radiology and Physics, 2424 Erwin Road, Suite 302, Duke University, Durham, NC 27705, USA. saunders@phy.duke.edu
Samei
Ehsan
E
Baker
Jay
J
Delong
David
D
Soo
Mary Scott
MS
Walsh
Ruth
R
Pisano
Etta
E
Kuzmiak
Cherie M
CM
Pavic
Dag
D
D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003626:Data Display; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D050866:Liquid Crystals; D008327:Mammography / Q000295:instrumentation*; D015588:Observer Variation; D011856:Radiographic Image Enhancement / Q000295:instrumentation; D012107:Research Design; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D014584:User-Computer Interface