Recent Advances in Chest Radiography

Abstract

There have been many remarkable advances in conventional thoracic imaging over the past decade. Perhaps the most remarkable is the rapid conversion from film-based to digital radiographic systems. Computed radiography is now the preferred imaging modality for bedside chest imaging. Direct radiography is rapidly replacing film-based chest units for in-department posteroanterior and lateral examinations. An exciting aspect of the conversion to digital radiography is the ability to enhance the diagnostic capabilities and influence of chest radiography. Opportunities for direct computer-aided detection of various lesions may enhance the radiologist's accuracy and improve efficiency. Newer techniques such as dual-energy and temporal subtraction radiography show promise for improved detection of subtle and often obscured or overlooked lung lesions. Digital tomosynthesis is a particularly promising technique that allows reconstruction of multisection images from a short acquisition at very low patient dose. Preliminary data suggest that, compared with conventional radiography, tomosynthesis may also improve detection of subtle lung lesions. The ultimate influence of these new technologies will, of course, depend on the outcome of rigorous scientific validation.

Improved detection of pulmonary nodules on energy-subtracted chest radiographs with a commercial computer-aided diagnosis software: comparison with human observers

“…Even in the era of low-dose chest computed tomography (CT) for lung cancer screening, chest radiography remains the primary investigation to exclude pulmonary nodules in many countries due to its easy application, low cost and radiation dose [1,2]. The overlay of bones and soft tissue structures, such as mediastinum, pulmonary vessels and diaphragm, is a well-known drawback of summation chest radiography that significantly hampers the recognition of lung lesions.…”

Comparison of Dual-Energy Subtraction and Electronic Bone Suppression Combined With Computer-Aided Detection on Chest Radiographs: Effect on Human Observers' Performance in Nodule Detection

“…In past decades, several technical innovations were introduced to improve the sensitivity of this modality. In addition to dual-energy subtraction radiography, other new software techniques have been shown to be capable of decreasing or completely removing the overprojection of bones, mainly of the clavicles and ribs, that significantly hampers the detection of pulmonary nodules on projection radiographs [1][2][3][4][5][6]. On the other hand, computer-aided detection (CAD) techniques have been developed for chest radiography, analogous to those used with chest CT, to aid in the detection of lung nodules.…”

Follow-up of endovascular aortic aneurysm repair: Preliminary validation of digital tomosynthesis and contrast enhanced ultrasound in detection of medium- to long-term complications

“…Its limitations are that only slices parallel to the detector plane can be obtained and the loss of overview with blurring of the tissues outside the region of interest. The technique has mostly been used for breast and chest imaging, and recently also for the urinary tract [12,23,24] . Our preliminary results show that DTA combined with CEUS is effective for diagnosis of complications after EVAR.…”