Image characteristics of digital panoramic radiography—potential for computer-aided diagnosis of calcified carotid atheromatous plaque

A retrospective analysis of panoramic radiographs from patients with head and neck cancer, taken prior to radiation therapy, revealed a prevalence of carotid calcifications of 12.6% in men aged 50–59 years, but only 3.3% in women of the same age. By age 70–79 years, the prevalence of calcified carotid atheromas was similar for both genders. Evaluation of the image layer characteristics of a prototype Instrumentarium OP 100D digital panoramic X-ray machine shows this unit to be suitable for detection of calcifications, within the carotid artery at the region of the bifurcation. © 2001 Elsevier Science B.V.