Influence of monitor luminance change on observer performance for detection of abnormalities depicted on chest radiographs.

RATIONALE AND
OBJECTIVES: To investigate how changes in luminance affect the detection accuracy of radiologists viewing chest radiograph images on high-resolution CRT monitors.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirteen radiologists performed a detection task for 11 chest radiograph images with simulated nodules on a monitor with 11 luminance conditions (the maximum luminance ranges from 157.4-369.0 candela/m2) simulating CRT degraded by long-term usage, under the ambient illumination of 200 lux; the observation order was always from the darkest to the brightest.
RESULTS: There was a statistically reliable effect of the 11 monitor display conditions on the detection of nodules (P < 0.001). In the conditions in which the maximum luminance of the CRT was 60.7% or below that of the standard display luminance, the correctly detected nodule number reliably deteriorated.
CONCLUSIONS: The luminance change in CRT monitor display under long-term usage will have a detrimental effect on nodule detection performance in chest radiograph images.