Accuracy of estimates of contrast media concentration

An animal model was used to prepare 18 experimental roentgenograms with differing dilutions of Conray 400 in each renal pelvis. Fifty radiologists were asked to estimate the iodine concentrations after they had been shown examples with known iodine concentrations. It was found there was a great deal of variation in the ability of individual subjects to accurately estimate the iodine concentration present. When the urinary iodine was less than 25 mg/ml, contrast estimations became grossly unreliable. At higher concentrations, the average performance of the sixty subjects was fairly clos to observed densotimetric readings. This study demonstrates that the ability to estimate iodine concentration is similar to other perceptive abilities in demonstrating both thereshold sensitivity and a near normal distribution among observes of the ability to judge perceptable differences in contrast media density.