H. Mosser et al., CONVENTIONAL FILM-SCREEN VERSUS COMPUTED STORAGE PHOSPHOR RADIOGRAPHY- SIMULATED MILIARY LUNG-DISEASE IN AN ANTHROPOMORPHIC PHANTOM, Investigative radiology, 30(3), 1995, pp. 186-191
RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES. In this experimental study, the authors exam
ined whether laser printed hardcopies from digital storage phosphor ra
diographs yield diagnostic performance equal to conventional film-scre
en radiographs in the detection of simulated miliary disease, using a
standardized object. METHODS. A commercially available anthropomorphic
chest phantom was used for radiographic evaluation. Miliary disease w
as simulated by superimposing one to four sheets of millet seeds on th
e lungs, resembling a miliary disease pattern with varying degrees of
detectability. An observer study (receiver-operating characteristic) w
ith eight radiologists was conducted to compare the reader performance
using hardcopies of computed storage phosphor radiography versus the
conventional film-screen system, optimized for chest x-rays. The digit
ally generated images were presented as a double-image hardcopy, with
a conventionally adopted version and an edge enhanced image version. R
ESULTS. When analyzed separately, one out of the eight observers perfo
rmed slightly better using the conventional films. When treated as a g
roup, analysis of the areas under the receiver-operating characteristi
c curves demonstrated no significant difference in reader performance
for each of the systems under investigation (t = 0.286). The Wilcoxon
test could not prove a statistical difference. CONCLUSION. Storage pho
sphor technology is a method that yields equal diagnostic performance
as conventional film in evaluating miliary disease of the chest.