2022 Volume 25 Issue 1 Pages 1-10
Purpose: We aim to compare the diagnostic ability and interpretation times of two dimensional (2D) and three dimensional (3D) images for skull fracture diagnosis in head injury computed tomography (CT) examination and to verify the usefulness of each image.
Methods: We identified 104 cases of traumatic intracranial hemorrhage caused by head trauma and diagnosed by CT. Axial and coronal images with a thickness of 2 mm were created as 2D images, and volume rendering, surface maximum intensity projection, and ray-summation images were created as 3D images. Interpretation was performed by three radiation technologists and one radiologist, and the sensitivity, specificity, time spent on interpretation, and displacement of fractures were calculated for 2D and 3D images.
Results: Compared with 2D images, 3D images showed improved sensitivity and individual differences in specificity, but there were no significant differences in diagnostic performance. Fractures missed by 2D and 3D images tended to have less displacement, but fractures were not missed if 2D and 3D images were used in the same case. 3D images significantly reduced the time spent on visual evaluation as compared to 2D images.
Conclusion: Because 2D and 3D images show different fractures, both images should be used for high diagnostic performance.
