In a study reminiscent of the Coke-Pepsi wars of yore, Herndon, VA-based Vidar Systems asked radiologists at this month's RSNA meeting to decide which was the real thing: the Lumisys Lumiscan 75 laser digitizer or Vidar's less expensive DiagnosticPro CCD digitizer. One hundred seventy radiologists of varying backgrounds were asked to compare 2,800 image pairs produced by the two machines in a study dubbed "The Great Digitizer Shootout."
The results: In nearly 60% of the images viewed, participants either preferred the DiagnosticPro images, or had no preference between CCD- and laser-scanned images. Although the test did not indicate how many participants preferred images produced by one machine or the other, Vidar business manager Brian Beardslee said the study puts to rest the question of whether the quality of CCD-produced images is comparable to that of lasers.
The total cost of purchasing, operating and maintaining a DiagnosticPro can be as much as $35,000 less than that of a Lumiscan 75 scanner over three years, according to Vidar.
John Burgess, Lumisys' vice president of sales and marketing, said the study's use of clinical films with unknown density differential and range characteristics made it worthless in establishing equivalency between laser- and CCD-based images. He said the greater accuracy of laser images in measuring absolute optical density was well established, and especially critical in diagnostic applications, where films are frequently overexposed.
Burgess also disputed Vidar's cost figures, and said the cost advantage of owning, operating and maintaining a DiagnosticPro was only about $2,300 a year.
By AuntMinnie.com staff writersDecember 14, 1999
Disclosure notice: AuntMinnie.com is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lumisys, Inc.
