Comparison of flat-panel digital to conventional film-screen radiography in detection of experimentally created lesions of the equine third metacarpal bone.
Abstract: Radiographic diagnosis of equine bone disease using digital radiography is prevalent in veterinary practice. However, the diagnostic quality of digital vs. conventional radiography has not been compared systematically. We hypothesized that digital radiography would be superior to film-screen radiography for detection of subtle lesions of the equine third metacarpal bone. Twenty-four third metacarpal bones were collected from horses euthanized for reasons other than orthopedic disease. Bones were dissected free of soft tissue and computed tomography was performed to ensure that no osseous abnormalities were present. Subtle osseous lesions were produced in the dorsal cortex of the third metacarpal bones, and the bones were radiographed in a soft tissue phantom using indirect digital and conventional radiography at standard exposures. Digital radiographs were printed onto film. Three Diplomates of the American College of Veterinary Radiology evaluated the radiographs for the presence or absence of a lesion. Receiver operator characteristic curves were constructed, and the area under these curves were compared to assess the ability of the digital and film-screen radiographic systems to detect lesions. The area under the ROC curves for film-screen and digital radiography were 0.87 and 0.90, respectively (P = 0.59). We concluded that the digital radiographic system was comparable to the film-screen system for detection of subtle lesions of the equine third metacarpal bone.
Publication Date: 2009-12-17 PubMed ID: 19999339DOI: 10.1111/j.1740-8261.2009.01586.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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- Comparative Study
- Evaluation Study
- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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This research article analyzes the effectiveness of digital radiography in comparison to conventional film-screen radiography for detecting subtle bone damage in horses. The study determined that digital radiography was almost as effective as traditional methods in spotting these subtle lesions.
Research Methodology
- The research involved twenty-four third metacarpal bones taken from horses euthanized for non-orthopedic reasons. These bones were extracted from their soft tissue, and a computed tomography (CT) scan was carried out to ensure no existing osseous (bone-related) abnormalities were present.
- Subtle bone lesions, or abnormal changes in the bone’s tissue or structure, were intentionally created in the dorsal cortex (outer layer) of these third metacarpal bones for research purposes.
- These bones were then X-rayed in a soft tissue phantom, an artificial model designed to mimic the physical properties of human or animal tissues, using both indirect digital and conventional radiography methods at standard exposures.
Assessment and Evaluation
- The digital radiographs produced were printed onto film. Three Diplomates of the American College of Veterinary Radiology then evaluated these radiographs, looking specifically for the presence or absence of the artificially created lesions.
- Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed to evaluate the diagnostic ability of both radiographic systems. ROC curves are a graphical representation used to illustrate the diagnostic ability of a binary classifier system – in this case, the ability to correctly classify the presence or absence of a lesion in the bone.
Results
- The area under the ROC curves for conventional film-screen radiography and digital radiography were 0.87 and 0.90, respectively. The margin of difference was not statistically significant (P=0.59), indicating that both systems demonstrated similar performance levels in lesion detection.
Conclusion
- Based on the results obtained from constructing and comparing ROC curves, the study concluded that the diagnostic performance of digital radiography systems is comparable to conventional film-screen systems in terms of detecting subtle lesions in the equine third metacarpal bone.
Cite This Article
APA
Moorman VJ, Marshall JF, Devine DV, Payton M, Jann HW, Bahr R.
(2009).
Comparison of flat-panel digital to conventional film-screen radiography in detection of experimentally created lesions of the equine third metacarpal bone.
Vet Radiol Ultrasound, 50(6), 577-583.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1740-8261.2009.01586.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA. valerie.moorman@colostate.edu
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Bone Diseases / diagnostic imaging
- Bone Diseases / veterinary
- Euthanasia, Animal
- Horse Diseases / diagnostic imaging
- Horses
- Metacarpal Bones / diagnostic imaging
- Models, Animal
- ROC Curve
- Radiographic Image Enhancement / methods
- Radiographic Image Enhancement / standards
- Tomography, X-Ray Computed / standards
- Tomography, X-Ray Computed / veterinary
- X-Ray Film / veterinary
Citations
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