Imaging acquisition display performance: an evaluation and discussion of performance metrics and procedures

When The Joint Commission updated its Requirements for Diagnostic Imaging Services for hospitals and ambulatory care facilities on July 1, 2015, among the new requirements was an annual performance evaluation for acquisition workstation displays. The purpose of this work was to evaluate a large cohort of acquisition displays used in a clinical environment and compare the results with existing performance standards provided by the American College of Radiology (ACR) and the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM). Measurements of the minimum luminance, maximum luminance, and luminance uniformity, were performed on 42 acquisition displays across multiple imaging modalities. The mean values, standard deviations, and ranges were calculated for these metrics. Additionally, visual evaluations of contrast, spatial resolution, and distortion were performed using either the Society of Motion Pictures and Television Engineers test pattern or the TG-18-QC test pattern. Finally, an evaluation of local nonuniformities was performed using either a uniform white display or the TG-18-UN80 test pattern. Displays tested were flat panel, liquid crystal displays that ranged from less than 1 to up to 10 years of use and had been built by a wide variety of manufacturers. The mean values for Lmin and Lmax for the displays tested were 0.28 ± 0.13 cd/m2 and 135.07 ± 33.35 cd/m2, respectively. The mean maximum luminance deviation for both ultrasound and non-ultrasound displays was 12.6...
Source: Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics - Category: Physics Source Type: research