Soft-copy reading of digital chest radiographs: effect of ambient light and automatic optimization of monitor luminance.

Objective: We sought to evaluate whether soft-copy reading of simulated pulmonary chest lesions is influenced by ambient light and automatic optimization of cathode ray tube (CRT) monitor luminance.

Materials And Methods: Four types of simulated lesions (nodules, lines, micronodules, and patchy opacities) were superimposed over an anthropomorphic chest phantom. Lesion detection with soft-copy reading was assessed using a high-contrast grayscale 2K CRT monitor under the following conditions: (1) subdued lighting (<50 lux); (2) normal lighting conditions (450 lux) without, and (3) with a sensitivity modulation to automatically adjust the CRT luminance to the increased amount of ambient light.