EFFECTS OF DELAYED PROCESSING ON MAMMOGRAPHIC PHANTOM OBJECT DETECTION

OBJECTIVES. Delayed processing of films is a common occurrence in mobi le mammography screening programs. The effects of such delayed process ing on radiologists' detection of phantom test objects are investigate d. METHODS. Twelve screen-film combinations were exposed using a phant om and developed after delays of 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7 days. Films were scored by three board-certified radiologists specializing in mammogra phy, based on visibility of calcifications, masses, fibrils, and line pairs. RESULTS. Variance analyses of mean scores indicate that, across screen-film combinations, there are no statistically significant decr eases in object detection associated with delayed processing. The anal yses do indicate, however, a statistically significant difference in s cores unrelated to delay, attributable to the screen-film combination used. CONCLUSIONS. Delayed processing of mammography film does not lea d to a decrease in the visibility of phantom test objects, despite lar ge decreases in overall image optical density.