Accuracy of Digital Tomosynthesis of the Chest in Detection of Interstitial Lung Disease Comparison With Digital Chest Radiography. Issue 1 (January 2019) - Kruamak, Temphon
Abstract : Purpose: The aim of the study was to assess the ability of chest digital tomosynthesis (DTS) for detection of interstitial lung disease (ILD) compared with conventional chest radiography. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 78 patients (60 males, 18 females, mean age = 53.05 years, range, 19–83 years) who underwent chest DTS for a 5-year interval (January 1, 2009–December 31, 2014). Of the 78 patients, 33 (42.3%) carried a diagnosis of ILD and 45 (57.7%) were not ILD. All computed tomography reports and medical records were reviewed. The conventional chest radiography and DTS were separately reviewed by 2 radiologists for the presence of ILD and the confidence in diagnosis. Results: The diagnostic accuracy of DTS for the detection of ILD was better than conventional chest radiography ( P < 0.05). Digital tomosynthesis had a sensitivity of 83.3% and negative predictive value of 89.0% that were statistically significantly better than conventional chest radiography (43.9% and 70.9%, respectively). Confidence in diagnosing ILD at DTS was higher than conventional chest radiography ( P < 0.001) and had higher interobserver agreement than conventional chest radiography ( P < 0.01). Conclusions: Digital tomosynthesis improves diagnostic performance and confidence in diagnosing ILD compared with conventional chest radiography. Digital tomosynthesis can be suggested as the initial diagnostic technique for patients with suspected ILD.