Preliminary Evaluation of Biplane Correlation (BCI) Stereographic Imaging for Lung Nodule Detection

A biplane correlation (BCI) imaging system obtains images that can be viewed in stereo, thereby minimizing overlapping structures. This study investigated whether using stereoscopic visualization provides superior lung nodule detection compared to standard postero-anterior (PA) image display. Images were acquired at two oblique views of ±3° as well as at a standard PA position from 60 patients. Images were processed using optimal parameters and displayed on a stereoscopic display. The PA image was viewed in the standard format, while the oblique views were paired to provide a stereoscopic view of the subject. A preliminary observer study was performed with four radiologists who viewed and scored the PA image then viewed and scored the BCI stereoscopic image. The BCI stereoscopic viewing of lung nodules resulted in 71 % sensitivity and 0.31 positive predictive value (PPV) index compared to PA results of 86 % sensitivity and 0.26 PPV index. The sensitivity for lung nodule detection with the BCI stereoscopic system was reduced by 15 %; however, the total number of false positives reported was reduced by 35 % resulting in an improved PPV index of 20 %. The preliminary results indicate observer dependency in terms of relative advantage of either system in the detection of lung nodules, but overall equivalency of the two methods with promising potential for BCI as an adjunct diagnostic technique.