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The results were based on the performance of nine radiologists at Charlotte Radiology with a mean level of experience in mammography of 15 years. The mammograms in the study were screen-film studies obtained on Hologic mammography equipment. The CAD technology used in the study was the Hologic R2 ImageChecker(R) CAD system. A total of 231,221 exams were included in the study; 49% of the exams were double read without CAD and 51% were single read with CAD.

"The Gromet study is a valuable addition to the body of knowledge on the performance of radiologists reading screening mammograms with CAD assistance," says Ronald A. Castellino, MD, FACR, Chief Medical Officer for Hologic. "A strength of this study is the large number of malignancies as well as the large number of cases in both arms of the study (double reading without CAD vs. single reading with CAD). The number of CAD cases is nearly four times greater than that reported in the Fenton paper(2) published in the New England Journal of Medicine last year. An additional strength is the use of data from the same pool of experienced radiologists with considerable CAD experience."

A copy of this study may be found at: http://www.ajronline.org/aheadofprint/04_07_2812_WI.pdf

Note on Sensitivity, Double Reading and CAD

The efficacy of screening mammography is enhanced when sensitivity is high and the recall rate is low. Double reading, though used by few practices in the United States, is a method for increasing sensitivity commonly used in European screening programs. CAD has become increasingly popular as an alternative way to increase sensitivity, since double reading is time- consuming and because of a shortage of radiologists.

CAD has the potential to increase sensitivity of screening mammography by marking area
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