Technical Evaluation: Comparison of Different Study Types, Associated Trade-Offs, and Criteria That Can Be Evaluated with the Study Type
| Simulation studies | Physical phantoms | Clinical studies | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Known ground truth | Y | Y | Rarely | |
| Scanner-based | Y | Y | ||
| Advantage | Model patient biology | Yes, but limited | Y | |
| Model population variability | Y | Y | ||
| Accuracy | Y | Y | ||
| Criterion that can be evaluated | Repeatability/reproducibility/noise sensitivity with multiple replicates | Y | Y | |
| Repeatability/reproducibility/noise sensitivity with test–retest replicates | Y | Yes and recommended | ||
| Biologic repeatability/reproducibility/noise sensitivity | Y | |||
| Costs | Low | Medium | High | |
| Other factors to consider | Time | Low | Medium | High |
| Confidence about clinical realism | Low | Medium | High |