EFFECT OF DIGITAL EDGE-ENHANCEMENT ON THE VISIBILITY OF NORMAL PARENCHYMAL LUNG MARKINGS

Digital 'conventional-like' (C-L) and edge-enhanced (E-E) posteroanter ior chest roentgenograms of 42 healthy individuals were ranked twice ( interval of at least 5 days) in the order of increasing lung parenchym al markings (a total of four rankings). This was done by three radiolo gists, two residents, one medical student and one radiographer. There was a good general consistency of rankings for both the C-L and E-E im ages. The correlation coefficients were best (median 0.600) (P < 0.05) between the consequent rankings of C-L images compared to the subsequ ent rankings of E-E images (median 0.440) and to the various combinati ons between the rankings of both kinds of images. Subtle differences i n normal lung parenchyma could, therefore, generally (five of the seve n observers) best be demonstrated in C-L images, but two observers man aged best with the E-E images.