Receiver operating characteristic curves in diagnostic imaging.

The evaluation of medical imaging systems is normally done by quantifying the physical properties of the equipment. Since a diagnosis by the radiologist is the result of a combination of equipment and radiologist, it is preferable to evaluate the system as a whole by the use of receiver operating characteristic curves. The aid of this article is to explain this evaluation technique to the radiologist and indicate why this technique in many cases is the proper way to evaluate imaging systems.