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/m(2)) 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.