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Comparison of chest radiography, chest digital tomosynthesis and low dose MDCT to detect small ground-glass opacity nodules: an anthropomorphic chest phantom study

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Abstract

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of chest radiography (CXR), chest digital tomosynthesis (DT) and low dose multidetector computed tomography (LDCT) for the detection of small pulmonary ground-glass opacity (GGO) nodules, using an anthropomorphic chest phantom.

Methods

Artificial pulmonary nodules were placed in a phantom and a total of 40 samples of different nodule settings underwent CXR, DT and LDCT. The images were randomly read by three experienced chest radiologists. Free-response receiver-operating characteristics (FROC) were used.

Results

The figures of merit for the FROC curves averaged for the three observers were 0.41, 0.37 and 0.76 for CXR, DT and LDCT, respectively. FROC analyses revealed significantly better performance of LDCT over CXR or DT for the detection of GGO nodules (P < 0.05). The difference in detectability between CXR and DT was not statistically significant (P = 0.73).

Conclusion

The diagnostic performance of DT for the detection of pulmonary small GGO nodules was not significantly different from that of CXR, but LDCT performed significantly better than both CXR and DT. DT is not a suitable alternative to CT for small GGO nodule detection, and LDCT remains the method of choice for this purpose.

Key Points

• For GGO nodule detection, DT was not significantly different from CXR.

• DT is not a suitable alternative to CT for GGO nodule detection.

• LDCT is the method of choice for GGO nodule detection.

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Acknowledgments

The scientific guarantor of this publication is Prof. Eun-Young Kang, Department of Radiology Korea University Guro Hospital, Korea University College of Medicine. The authors of this manuscript declare no relationships with any companies whose products or services may be related to the subject matter of the article. This study has received funding by Korea University Medical College Radiology Grant (KUMCRG 03131). Ji Sung Lee (Biostatistical Consulting Unit, Soonchunhyang University Medical Center) kindly provided statistical advice for this manuscript. Institutional review board approval was not required because this was an experimental study based on a phantom. Methodology: experimental, performed at one institution.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Korea University Guro Hospital, Korea University College of Medicine, 80 Guro-dong, Guro-gu, Seoul, 152-703, Korea

    Kyung Won Doo, Eun-Young Kang & Hwan Seok Yong

  2. Department of Radiology, Korea University Anam Hospital, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

    Soo-Youn Ham

  3. Department of Radiology, Korea University Ansan Hospital, Korea University College of Medicine, Ansan, Korea

    Ki Yeol Lee & Ji Yung Choo

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  1. Kyung Won Doo
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  2. Eun-Young Kang
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Correspondence to Eun-Young Kang.

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Doo, K.W., Kang, EY., Yong, H.S. et al. Comparison of chest radiography, chest digital tomosynthesis and low dose MDCT to detect small ground-glass opacity nodules: an anthropomorphic chest phantom study. Eur Radiol 24, 3269–3276 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-014-3376-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-014-3376-6

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