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Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the relative diagnostic accuracy of radiologists in the interpretation of CT scans using a computer workstation in comparison with using film., Materials and Methods: Four board-certified radiologists with extensive soft-copy experience interpreted 117 CT scans in four anatomic regions using films displayed on an alternator and images displayed on a four-monitor workstation. The radiologists were asked to interpret the scans in their usual fashion and were aware that both the time required to review the study and the accuracy of the reports were being assessed. The radiologists' diagnostic impressions were compared with those of a consensus panel and scored for accuracy., Results: Soft-copy interpretation using computer workstations was found to produce statistically significant improvement in combined measurements of sensitivity, specificity, and overall accuracy for chest, brain, and chest-abdominal CT scans compared with film interpretation., Conclusion: PACS (picture archiving and communication system) offers radiologists the potential for improved accuracy in CT interpretation compared with traditional film-based interpretation.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the impact of filmless operation and computed radiography on technologists' examination times compared with conventional film-based operation and film-screen radiography., Conclusion: Compared with conventional film-screen operation, filmless operation using computed radiography was associated with a significant decrease in technologist examination times in the performance of general radiographic examinations. This decrease in technologist examination times in a filmless environment offers the potential for increased productivity with resulting personnel savings and improved operational efficiency.