The Specificity and Reliability of Roentgenographic Diagnosis

Abstract

X-RAY films are not all black and white. Some parts may be black and others white, but there are many shades of gray in between. Similarly, the diagnoses from roentgenographic examinations are not all yes or no propositions. There are many shades of certainty in opinions and many degrees of reliability based on deductions. This essay is an attempt to estimate the accuracy and trustworthiness of diagnoses made primarily by the roentgenographic method. These estimates are based not only upon my own experience of thirty years with this method but also upon those of my colleagues both in roentgenology and . . .