Measurement of image quality in diagnostic radiology

The aim in radiology is to obtain images which are adequate for the clinica l purpose with the minimum radiation dose to the patient. If optimum perfor mance is to be achieved, assessments of image quality must be made to balan ce against patient dose. The subjective nature of image interpretation make s an objective approach to such assessment difficult. Methods widely applie d involve the use of test objects, which although providing a measure of im aging performance may be difficult to link to clinical image formation. The ideal method for evaluation of imaging techniques is through clinical tria ls and this should be used to address major questions. Scoring of quality c riteria, relating to features observed in a normal clinical radiograph, pro vides a simple method through which image quality can be assessed in every hospital department. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.