Impact of X-ray image distortion on diagnostic accuracy: A clinical study of 30 cases at Al-Sadr educational hospital in Najaf, Iraq

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of distortion in radiographic images taken by a X-ray digital radiography (DR) machine for 30 cases of patients who visited Al-Sadr Educational Hospital in Najaf, Iraq, during the period between February and April during the year 2024, which technical settings such as kilovoltage peak (kVp) and milliampere-second (mAs) were recorded to identify the extent of the impact of these factors on the distortion of the radiographic image and thus the accuracy of diagnosis. It was found that these technical factors have a direct impact on the accuracy of the radiographic image, in addition to other factors such as poor lighting and incorrect calibration, which may lead to distortion of the radiographic image. All of this leads to a wrong diagnosis and thus affects the clinical evaluation, which is necessary to emphasize the establishment of special protocols that guarantee obtaining radiographic images with good accuracy to ensure a correct diagnosis of pathological cases.