Evaluation of computer-aided detection (CAD) prompting techniques for mammography

Computer-aided detection (CAD) systems, in which abnormalities are automatically detected and their locations presented to the radiologist as prompts, are increasingly being used to improve reader performance. The performance of CAD systems can be evaluated in two ways: by measuring the performance of the algorithms, or by monitoring the performance of readers using the system. All aspects of evaluation need careful consideration to avoid potential bias. This paper examines a variety of different approaches to evaluation and discusses their relative strengths and weaknesses. © 2005 The British Institute of Radiology.