Clinical comparative study with a large-area amorphous silicon flat-panel detector: image quality and visibility of anatomic structures on chest radiography

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to compare clinical chest radiographs of a large-area, flat-panel digital radiography system and a conventional film-screen radiography system. The comparison was based on an observer preference study of image quality and visibility of anatomic structures.

Materials and methods: Routine follow-up chest radiographs were obtained from 100 consecutive oncology patients using a large-area, amorphous silicon flat-panel detector digital radiography system (dose equivalent to a 400-speed film system). Hard-copy images were compared with previous examinations of the same individuals taken on a conventional film-screen system (200-speed). Patients were excluded if changes in the chest anatomy were detected or if the time interval between the examinations exceeded 1 year. Observer preference was evaluated for the image quality and the visibility of 15 anatomic structures using a five-point scale.

Results: Dose measurements with a chest phantom showed a dose reduction of approximately 50% with the digital radiography system compared with the film-screen radiography system. The image quality and the visibility of all but one anatomic structure of the images obtained with the digital flat-panel detector system were rated significantly superior (p < or = 0.0003) to those obtained with the conventional film-screen radiography system.

Conclusion: The image quality and visibility of anatomic structures on the images obtained by the flat-panel detector system were perceived as equal or superior to the images from conventional film-screen chest radiography. This was true even though the radiation dose was reduced approximately 50% with the digital flat-panel detector system.