| PURPOSE: To evaluate the application value of Dual-energy Subtraction digital radiography on the detection of solitary pulmonary nodules.MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty cases were involved in this study. As confirmed by their CT results, 30 out of them have a pulmonary nodule, while the reminder half do not. All these 60 cases underwent both examinations of routine digital chest radiography and Dual-energy Subtraction digital chest radiography. All images got were displayed on a high-resolution liquid crystal diode (LCD) imager, and were observed by 10 radiologists (6 residents and 4 attending ones). With a sequential test, observes evaluated first the routine images and then the subtraction ones of the same case. They were supposed to mark on a continuous confidence rating scale in terms of the existence of solitary pulmonary nodule in both two kinds of images they viewed. The results were analyzed with a ROC methodology.RESULTS: Under two circumstances of routine images displayed only and subtraction images provided, the area under the fitted ROC curve of all 10 observes was 0.923 and 0.968 respectively (p<0.05).CONCLUSION: Dual-energy Subtraction digital radiography is able to improve radiologists' detective performance of solitary pulmonary nodule, especially for those inexperienced radiologists. |
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