Abstract
Signal-detection theory was used to study methods of measuring changes in diagnostic quality from medical image processing. Detectability index and likelihood ratio are applicable for purposes of comparison but they do not give an indication of the confidence with which a diagnosis has been made. Therefore a new measure for evaluation, the diagnostic output, is defined which incorporates this important aspect. This study describes experiments where four observers judge pictures of heart scintigrams in different stages of processing involving variations of resolution and brightness. The emphasis is on methods for evaluation of the diagnostic value of picture processing. Our conclusion is that the influence of the studied image-processing techniques can be well described using signaldetection theory, while the diagnostic output seems to be a well suited measure to represent diagnostic properties of stimulus and observer.
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de Valk, J.P.J., Eijkman, E.G.J. & Vintcent, J. Detectability index, likelihood ratio and diagnostic output as psychophysical measures for evaluation of medical image processing. Med. Biol. Eng. Comput. 19, 597–604 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02442774
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02442774