Influence of film digitization on radiological interpretation

Our objective was to evaluate the influence of changing from analogue to digital imaging on interobserver and intraobserver image interpretation. Three radiologists interpreted 96 three image series of occipitomental radiographs of paranasal sinuses from the films and from the corresponding digitized images from the screen. Images were classified according to degree of abnormality as either normal, with mucosal thickening of less than 5 mm, with mucosal thickening of 5 mm or more, total opacity, air-fluid level or polyp or cyst of maxillary sinuses. In the present study we found that there were more differences between two radiologist's interpretations with a single method than in a single radiologist's interpretations between the methods, although radiologists interpreted fewer pathological findings from the digitized images than from the corresponding films. Our data show that the results of image interpretation are preferentially dependent on the reader rather than on the method of reading.