title: Receiver operating characteristic analysis: a tool for the quantitative evaluation of observer performance and imaging systems.
abstract: Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis provides the most comprehensive description of diagnostic accuracy available to date, because it estimates and reports all of the combinations of sensitivity and specificity that a diagnostic test is able to provide. After sketching the 6 levels at which diagnostic efficacy can be assessed, this paper explains the conceptual foundations of conventional ROC analysis, describes a variety of indices that can be used to summarize ROC curves, and describes several forms of generalized ROC analysis that address situations in which more than 2 decision alternatives are available. Key issues that arise in ROC curve fitting and statistical testing are addressed in an intuitive way to provide a basis for judging the validity of ROC studies reported in the literature. A list of sources for free ROC software is provided. Receiver operating characteristic methodology has reached a level of maturity at which it can be recommended broadly as the approach of choice for radiologic imaging system comparisons.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA. c-metz@uchicago.edu
authors.forename: Charles E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Metz
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D015588:Observer Variation; D011361:Professional Competence; D012372:ROC Curve; D012984:Software; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D013673:Technology Assessment, Biomedical