A comparison of the performance of a 2.4 MP colour monitor and a 5.0 MP monochrome monitor in visualising low contrast detail using the CDRAD phantom

Aims and objectives
Monochrome liquid crystal (LCD) display monitors are commonly utilised in diagnostic radiology for medical image viewing. The reason behind this is they have a high luminance compared with the colour liquid crystal display (LCD) monitors [1]. However monochrome LCD monitors are extremely expensive compared with colour LCD monitors; consequently, some institutions use the standard colour liquid crystal display (LCD) monitors even though they have lower luminance [2]. A high luminance is required for monitors utilised in diagnostic radiology [3] because it is important for visualising the entire grayscale, from black to white, of the medical image [2]. According to the American College of Radiology the luminance of a display monitor to be used for primary interpretation of the medical images must be at least 171 cd/m 2 [4].

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