Computerized generation of lesion models for evaluating subtraction radiography.

Digital subtraction radiography is a technique that has been shown to provide greater sensitivity and specificity in detecting bur-induced crestal bone change than the traditional comparison of two radiographs. It is questionable, however, to what extent these reports relate to clinical situations. A computerized method of extracting lesion areas from clinical subtraction images and imposing them on radiographs of experimental sites has been developed with the goal of producing a more relevant model for evaluating subtraction radiography. Observers were unable to distinguish between natural lesions and those produced by this method.