Abstract
The purpose of this study was to assess contrast-detail performance and effective dose of eight different digital chest radiography systems. Digital chest radiography systems from different manufacturers were included: one storage phosphor system, one selenium-coated drum system, and six direct readout systems including four thin-film transistor (TFT) systems and two charge-coupled device (CCD) systems. For measuring image quality, a contrast-detail test object was used in combination with a phantom that simulates the primary and scatter transmission through lung fields (LucAl). Six observers judged phantom images of each modality by soft-copy reading in a four-alternative-forced-choice experiment. The entrance dose was also measured, and the effective dose was calculated for an average patient. Contrast-detail curves were constructed from the observer data. The blocked two-way ANOVA test was used for statistical analysis. Significant difference in contrast-detail performance was found between the systems. Best contrast-detail performance was shown by a CCD system with slot-scan technology, and the selenium-coated drum system was compared to the other six systems (p values ≤0.003). Calculated effective dose varied between 0.010 mSv and 0.032 mSv. Significant differences in contrast-detail performance and effective dose levels were found between different digital chest radiography systems in clinical practice.
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Acknowledgements
The authors gratefully acknowledge the participation of the following persons in the panel of observers: J.P. van Delft, V. Schembri MSc, and D. Zweers BSc (Leiden University Medical Center, Department of Radiology).
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Veldkamp, W.J.H., Kroft, L.J.M., Boot, M.V. et al. Contrast-detail evaluation and dose assessment of eight digital chest radiography systems in clinical practice. Eur Radiol 16, 333–341 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-005-2887-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-005-2887-6