Extended analysis of the effect of learning with feedback on the detectability of pulmonary nodules in chest tomosynthesis

Abstract

In chest tomosynthesis, low-dose projections collected over a limited angular range are used for reconstruction of section images of the chest, resulting in a reduction of disturbing anatomy at a moderate increase in radiation dose compared to chest radiography. In a previous study, we investigated the effects of learning with feedback on the detection of pulmonary nodules in chest tomosynthesis. Six observers with varying degrees of experience of chest tomosynthesis analyzed tomosynthesis cases for presence of pulmonary nodules. The cases were analyzed before and after learning with feedback. Multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) was used as reference. The differences in performance between the two readings were calculated using the jackknife alternative free-response receiver operating characteristics (JAFROC-2) as primary measure of detectability. Significant differences between the readings were found only for observers inexperienced in chest tomosynthesis. The purpose of the present study was to extend the statistical analysis of the results of the previous study, including JAFROC-1 analysis and FROC curves in the analysis. The results are consistent with the results of the previous study and, furthermore, JAFROC-1 gave lower p-values than JAFROC-2 for the observers who improved their performance after learning with feedback.