title: The effect of radiographic imaging modalities and the observer's experience on postoperative maxillary cyst assessment.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to compare the accuracy of postoperative maxillary cyst (POMC) diagnosis by panoramic radiographs versus computed tomography (CT) and by oral and maxillofacial radiologists versus non-specialists.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-five maxillary sinuses with POMCs and 63 without any lesion were assessed using panoramic radiographs and CT images by five oral and maxillofacial radiologists and five non-specialists on a five-point scale. The areas under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were analyzed to determine the differences in diagnostic accuracy between the two imaging modalities and between the two groups of observers. The intra-observer agreement was determined, too.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The diagnostic accuracy of CT images was higher than that of panoramic radiographs in both groups of observers (p<0.05). The diagnostic accuracy of oral and maxillofacial radiologists for each method was higher than that of non-specialists (p<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of CT improves the diagnosis of POMC, and radiological training and experience leads to more accurate evaluation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology and Dental Research Institute, School of Dentistry, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Tae-In
authors.initials: TI
authors.lastname: Gang
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology and Dental Research Institute, School of Dentistry, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Kyung-Hoe
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Huh
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology and Dental Research Institute, School of Dentistry, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Won-Jin
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Yi
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology and Dental Research Institute, School of Dentistry, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Sam-Sun
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology and Dental Research Institute, School of Dentistry, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Min-Suk
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Heo
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology and Dental Research Institute, School of Dentistry, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Soon-Chul
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Choi
keywords: Cysts; Maxillary Sinus; Radiography, Panoramic; Tomography, X-Ray Computed, Observer Variation