Results of clinical application of the color contrasting method of digitalx-rays

Introduction. Color processing of X-ray images has a long history and initially was directed for improvement of analysis of medical diagnostic images. Purpose — to evaluate the results of clinical application of the method for color contrast enhancement of digital radiographs.
Material and methods. The study was carried out in the X-ray department of the city Mariinsky hospital in St. Petersburg, having installed a computer program on the workstations of the radiologists for carrying out color contrasting of digital radiographs (CCDR). The CCDR program allowed the radiologist to select one of 63 trajectories in 8 colors. Choosing options for coloring, we settled on a warm, cold, full scale, as well as 4 combinations of one color from cold and warm scales with a saturation from 0 to 100%. The CCDR performed 100 digital radiographs of various anatomical areas.We analyzed a variety of colors and their percentage of saturation in terms of optimal transmission of pathological signs of anatomical areas. 27 radiologists assessed the possibilities of CCDR in X-ray diagnostics.
Results. Clinical application of CCDR showed that thanks to this method, tissues of different densities were distinguished in more detail on the X-ray image, since their contours were more expressively emphasized. Pathological symptoms, indistinctly expressed on a black-and-white radiograph, were convincingly reflected in the colorized image, which increased the sensitivity and specificity of the diagnosis. Thanks to color post-processing, it was possible to optimize subtle radiological signs of structural bone changes, traumatic injuries of the ribs, impaired pneumatization of the lungs (infiltration, hypoventilation), pneumo-, hydrothorax, and others. Of the radiologists, 77% considered it important to use CCDR in X-ray diagnostics.
Conclusion. A digital radiograph, contrasted with a color of optimal saturation, has distinct advantages over a traditional blackand-white X-ray image, since it reveals hidden or subtle diagnostic information. The diagnostic efficiency of the method of color contrasting of radiographs is higher than the analysis of black-and-white images up to 13%.To increase the diagnostic capabilities of X-ray diagnostics, it is advisable to include the method of color contrasting in the package of computer post-processing of images, using at least three gamuts in the standard, the saturation of which is 25–50%.The colorized image does not replace black and white, but complements it, resolving the diagnostic doubts of the radiologist.

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