Digital and conventional chest images: observer performance with Film Digital Radiography System.

TLDR

The Film Digital Radiography System (FilmDRS) is a device featuring a laser optical film digitizer, a 2,000×2,000×12‑bit memory, and a 1,000‑line video display. The study aimed to evaluate the adequacy of FilmDRS for general chest radiography. Four readers independently assessed 150 digitized chest images (100 abnormal, 50 normal) on both the original radiographs and the FilmDRS video display. Overall sensitivity was equal between FilmDRS and conventional film, but FilmDRS with interactive windowing better detected hilar and mediastinal disease, film was superior for hyperlucent states, and conventional film achieved higher specificity.

Abstract

The Film Digital Radiography System (FilmDRS) is a device with a laser optical film digitizer, 2,000 X 2,000 X 12-bit memory, and a 1,000-line video display. To evaluate the adequacy of this device for general radiography of the chest, four readers independently analyzed both radiographs and the corresponding video display of the digitized chest images of 150 patients, consisting of 100 images of abnormalities and 50 normal images. The overall results indicate equal sensitivity for the two systems. The FilmDRS, with interactive windowing, proved superior in the detection of hilar and mediastinal disease. X-ray film was superior in allowing detection of hyperlucent states. There was equivalent sensitivity for other disease categories. Superior specificity was achieved with conventional radiographs.