Abstract
We examined the appropriate number of images to take for gastric cancer diagnosis from the number of images taken by and the false-negative rates of 66 institutions that conducted a total of more than 100 endoscopic examinations in 2006 and 2007. The institutions were chosen from among those that conduct endoscopic examinations for gastric cancer in Maebashi City. By classifying the institutions as those that provided 16-mm film images, 14-20 digital images, 20-24 digital images, 24-28 digital images and more than 28 digital images, we found that the false-negative rates were 55.9%, 37.5%, 22.2%, 21.7% and 33.3% respectively, the percentages of missed lesions were 38.2%, 25.0%, 9.7%, 8.7% and 16.7%, respectively, and the percentages of unphotographed lesions were 31.6%, 11.1%, 12.5%, 0.0% and 33.3%, respectively. The results clearly show that 24-28 digital images yielded the lowest values. It is perceived that a total of 30-36 images, which consist of one image of the larynx, three or four images of the esophagus, and two or three images of the duodenum in addition to the 24-28 images, is the most appropriate number of images to take from the viewpoint of the false-negative rate.
