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Updated: Apr 30, 2026
Author Spotlight: Advancing 3D Modeling for Enhanced Diagnosis and Treatment of Pulmonary Nodules in Early-Stage Lung Cancer
Published on: October 13, 2023
[Detection of lung nodules. New opportunities in chest radiography]
S Pötter-Lang1, S Schalekamp, C Schaefer-Prokop
1Universitätsklinik für Radiologie und Nuklearmedizin, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-Guided Therapy, Medizinische Universität Wien, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Wien, Österreich, sarah.poetter-lang@meduniwien.ac.at.
Background:
Chest radiography still represents the most commonly performed X-ray examination because it is readily available, requires low radiation doses and is relatively inexpensive. However, as previously published, many initially undetected lung nodules are retrospectively visible in chest radiographs.
Standard Radiological Methods:
The great improvements in detector technology with the increasing dose efficiency and improved contrast resolution provide a better image quality and reduced dose needs.
Methodical Innovations:
The dual energy acquisition technique and advanced image processing methods (e.g. digital bone subtraction and temporal subtraction) reduce the anatomical background noise by reduction of overlapping structures in chest radiography. Computer-aided detection (CAD) schemes increase the awareness of radiologists for suspicious areas.
Results:
The advanced image processing methods show clear improvements for the detection of pulmonary lung nodules in chest radiography and strengthen the role of this method in comparison to 3D acquisition techniques, such as computed tomography (CT).
Assessment:
Many of these methods will probably be integrated into standard clinical treatment in the near future. Digital software solutions offer advantages as they can be easily incorporated into radiology departments and are often more affordable as compared to hardware solutions.
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