Do density histograms allow the automatic detection of vertebral body tumors

This paper studies the use of density histograms (DHs) for automatic detection of vertebral body tumors on CT scans. On images taken from 36 normal and 40 cancer patients (section thickness, 5 mm; reconstruction matrix, 512 x 512; field, 131 mm), DHs for two halves of the vertebral body were compared in terms of mode, median range, and intersection. The threshold for each parameter has been chosen by means of a runs test. The best parameter was the intersection of the DHs, which is inferior to 82% in 90% of pathologic cases (X3 = 43.6; P < .0000; specificity, = 0.89). The shift between mode and median revealed a sensitivity of 0.68 and a specificity of 0.97. The maxima of DHs and the difference between modes produced sensitivities of 0.63 and 0.80 and specificities of 0.92 and 0.67, respectively