ULTRASOUND CONTRAST-DETAIL ANALYSIS - A COMPARISON OF LOW-CONTRAST DETECTABILITY AMONG SCANHEAD DESIGNS

Contrast-detail (CD) analysis was used to compare the low-contrast det ection capabilities of expert observers using different array-type sca nhead technologies. Five expert observers viewed five different contra st targets to obtain CD curves for each scanhead. Differences in CD cu rves are interpreted in terms of the image contrast, resolution, and n oise. It was found that differences in low-contrast detectability were due to differences in beam properties. Clinical images obtained durin g patient examinations are used to show how some clinically relevant t asks are distributed in their contrast and size.