Reading from a video CRT VS reading from film: a comparison of observer performance

No significant differences were found between observer performance when reading from film compared to direct reading from a video CRT. The minor differences were less than the interobserver variability. It was concluded that the choice of viewing medium could be made on factors such as convenience, personal preference and cost without jeopardizing diagnostic accuracy. A note of caution is warranted, however. The film records in the study were carefully controlled for quality and gray scale stability. In practice, these factors are frequently subject to considerable variation and could introduce a source of error of significant magnitude. Further studies on more complex interpretation tasks such as CT and ultrasound are definitely needed to clarify these questions. The study data consisted of 218 scintigraphic examinations of the thyroid gland. The images were acquired, processed, stored and displayed on a current generation nuclear medicine computer system