Agreement between plain and Internet x-ray scores was calculated using Lin's concordance correlations and Bland-Altman graphical representation.
Although several previous studies have investigated the efficacy of digital x-rays to interpret the musculoskeletal system [ 11- 13] and others compare digital and plain film x-rays for assessing rheumatoid arthritis [ 6, 14], there has been limited investigation into the reliability of assessing Internet x-ray images of rheumatoid patients.
For example, a joint that received a Sharp with Genant Modification JSN score of 0 (i.e., normal) when viewed on a plain film x-ray, without the use of a magnifying lens or bright light, could quite easily receive a score of 1 (i.e., mild change) when viewed on the Internet x-ray, which may provide clearer contrast on a monitor with super VGA capacity.
Both the plain and Internet x-rays were scored for erosions and joint space narrowing using the Sharp/Genant method.
However, interpretation of the Bland Altman graphic (see Figure 7) suggests a trend for patients with low to moderate levels of disease involvement to have Internet x-rays scored higher than corresponding plain x-rays.
The tightness of the data to the reduced major axis for the global plain and Internet x-rays was 0.879 and accuracy was represented by an r = 0.874, to produce a concordance of 0.769.
The anatomic locations selected for scoring the plain and Internet x-rays using the Sharp with Genant modification method were identical to those sites used by Genant et al [ 6].
It is 2002, but if we're not careful, it will feel like '1984.' " Mr. Edwards said that since Sept. 11 the F.B.I. and local police departments "have increased experimentation with video and Internet surveillance, X-ray screening, facial identification and other investigative tools".
The aim of this article is to report the reliability of Internet hand x-rays for scoring erosions and joint space narrowing in patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Various types of images are used as follows: Internet photos [13], X-ray images [8, 24], image sets actively captured in advance [25, 26], streaming image sequences from surveillance cameras [27], multi-view cameras [6, 28 30], and RGB-D cameras [31, 32].
The video sessions are often prepared in advance with secure Internet messaging, including pictures, X-rays and pathology reports.
