[Evaluation of image quality of medical facsimile as a radiological image recording system]

We examined the usefulness of a new medical facsimile (MFAX) system in recording and transmitting various kinds of medical images, including X-ray images and colored histopathologic images. The system consists of an image scanner, a magnetic disk for image storage, a transmission circuit and a thermal image printer. Transmission time for a FCR (Fuji computed radiography) image by super-fine mode was 6 minutes. We used ROC (receiver operating characteristics) curves to evaluate the ability of eight radiologists to detect the small simulated nodules placed on an anthropomorphic chest phantom and shown on MFAX images. The radiologists observed both the FCR films and MFAX copies and determined the presence or absence of simulated nodules using five confidence levels. The results obtained for FCR films and MFAX images showed no statistically significant difference.