Evaluation of JPEG 2000 encoder options: human and model observer detection of variable signals in X-ray coronary angiograms

Previous studies have evaluated the effect of the new still image compression standard JPEG 2000 using nontask based image quality metrics, i.e., peak-signal-to-noise-ratio (PSNR) for nonmedical images. In this paper, the effect of JPEG 2000 encoder options was investigated using the performance of human and model observers (nonprewhitening matched filter with an eye filter, square-window Hotelling, Laguerre-Gauss Hotelling and channelized Hotelling model observer) for clinically relevant visual tasks. Two tasks were investigated: the signal known exactly but variable task (SKEV) and the signal known statistically task (SKS). Test images consisted of real X-ray coronary angiograms with simulated filling defects (signals) inserted in one of the four simulated arteries. The signals varied in size and shape. Experimental results indicated that the dependence of task performance on the JPEG 2000 encoder options was similar for all model and human observers. Model observer performance in the more tractable and computationally economic SKEV task can be used to reliably estimate performance in the complex but clinically more realistic SKS task. JPEG 2000 encoder settings different from the default ones resulted in greatly improved model and human observer performance in the studied clinically relevant visual tasks using real angiography backgrounds.