OBSERVER EVALUATION OF SCATTER SUBTRACTION FOR DIGITAL PORTABLE CHESTRADIOGRAPHS

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES. The authors compared standard digital portab le chest radiographs (DPCXR) to scatter-subtracted DPCXR. METHODS. Thi rty DPCXR were obtained using a photostimulable phosphor digital imagi ng system and a posterior beam stop (PBS) technique that allowed measu rement of the scatter component of the DPCXR. The scatter component wa s subtracted from the clinical image to form a scatter-subtracted imag e. Six observers recorded preference for the standard image or scatter -subtracted image for identifying five radiographic landmarks and for image quality. RESULTS. A statistically significant preference was dem onstrated for the scatter-subtracted images and for viewing the trache o-bronchial tree, right paratracheal stripe, vertebral column, and sup port apparatus position. For unprocessed images, there was a statistic ally significant preference for viewing the pulmonary vasculature. No statistically significant preference was demonstrated for overall imag e quality. CONCLUSIONS. These results suggest that PBS scatter subtrac tion holds promise for improving visualization of structures in high-s catter regions of chest radiographs.