title: A low cost method of digitizing radiographs using a photo light box.
abstract: We evaluated a low cost device for digitizing X-ray films. It consisted of a locally-made wooden box and a readily-available digital camera. Two experienced paediatric radiologists interpreted the original X-ray films (the reference standard) and the corresponding images obtained in the photo light box. Ninety paediatric chest X-ray films were used (30 were normal chest radiographs, 30 showed pneumonic-consolidation and 30 had interstitial infiltrates). The presence or absence of the three signs most frequently found in acute respiratory pathologies were evaluated: normal pulmonary transparency, pneumonic consolidation and interstitial infiltration. There was very good agreement between the X-ray films and the digitized images, with kappa values from 0.86 to 0.98. There was good agreement between the two observers, with kappa values from 0.67 to 0.90. The low-cost photo light box represents an accessible and low-cost approach to transmitting X-ray images, allowing findings or a second opinion from a specialist radiologist to be obtained from a distance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, Pontificia Universidade Catolica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil matteob@terra.com.br.
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Baldisserotto
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, Universidade de Santa Maria, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
authors.forename: Giltom Fontoura
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: de Godoy
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Pontificia Universidade Catolica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
authors.forename: Denis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Barbieri
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D010781:Photography / Q000191:economics / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic / Q000191:economics / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D019112:Teleradiology / Q000191:economics / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*