Assessing the inter-observer and intra-observer reliability of radiographic measurements for size-specific dose estimates.
Agreement
CT
Consistency
DRL
ICC
Observers
Reliability
SSDE
Journal
BMC medical imaging
ISSN: 1471-2342
Titre abrégé: BMC Med Imaging
Pays: England
ID NLM: 100968553
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
12 Aug 2024
12 Aug 2024
Historique:
received:
10
05
2024
accepted:
08
08
2024
medline:
13
8
2024
pubmed:
13
8
2024
entrez:
12
8
2024
Statut:
epublish
Résumé
Calculating size-specific dose estimates (SSDEs) requires measurement of the patient's anteroposterior (AP) and lateral thickness based on computed tomography (CT) images. However, these measurements can be subject to variation due to inter-observer and intra-observer differences. This study aimed to investigate the impact of these variations on the accuracy of the calculated SSDE. Four radiographers with 1-10 years of experience were invited to measure the AP and lateral thickness on 30 chest, abdomen, and pelvic CT images. The images were sourced from an internet-based database and anonymized for analysis. The observers were trained to perform the measurements using MicroDicom software and asked to repeat the measurements 1 week later. The study was approved by the institutional review board at Taibah University, and written informed consent was obtained from the observers. Statistical analyses were performed using Python libraries Pingouin (version 0.5.3), Seaborn (version 0.12.2), and Matplotlib (version 3.7.1). The study revealed excellent inter-observer agreement for the calculated effective diameter and AP thickness measurements, with Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) values of 0.95 and 0.96, respectively. The agreement for lateral thickness measurements was lower, with an ICC value of 0.89. The second round of measurements yielded nearly the same levels of inter-observer agreement, with ICC values of 0.97 for the effective diameter, 1.0 for AP thickness, and 0.88 for lateral thickness. When the consistency of the observer was examined, excellent consistency was found for the calculated effective diameter, with ICC values ranging from 0.91 to 1.0 for all observers. This was observed despite the lower consistency in the lateral thickness measurements, which had ICC values ranging from 0.78 to 1.0. The study's findings suggest that the measurements required for calculating SSDEs are robust to inter-observer and intra-observer differences. This is important for the clinical use of SSDEs to set diagnostic reference levels for CT scans.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND
BACKGROUND
Calculating size-specific dose estimates (SSDEs) requires measurement of the patient's anteroposterior (AP) and lateral thickness based on computed tomography (CT) images. However, these measurements can be subject to variation due to inter-observer and intra-observer differences. This study aimed to investigate the impact of these variations on the accuracy of the calculated SSDE.
METHODS
METHODS
Four radiographers with 1-10 years of experience were invited to measure the AP and lateral thickness on 30 chest, abdomen, and pelvic CT images. The images were sourced from an internet-based database and anonymized for analysis. The observers were trained to perform the measurements using MicroDicom software and asked to repeat the measurements 1 week later. The study was approved by the institutional review board at Taibah University, and written informed consent was obtained from the observers. Statistical analyses were performed using Python libraries Pingouin (version 0.5.3), Seaborn (version 0.12.2), and Matplotlib (version 3.7.1).
RESULTS
RESULTS
The study revealed excellent inter-observer agreement for the calculated effective diameter and AP thickness measurements, with Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) values of 0.95 and 0.96, respectively. The agreement for lateral thickness measurements was lower, with an ICC value of 0.89. The second round of measurements yielded nearly the same levels of inter-observer agreement, with ICC values of 0.97 for the effective diameter, 1.0 for AP thickness, and 0.88 for lateral thickness. When the consistency of the observer was examined, excellent consistency was found for the calculated effective diameter, with ICC values ranging from 0.91 to 1.0 for all observers. This was observed despite the lower consistency in the lateral thickness measurements, which had ICC values ranging from 0.78 to 1.0.
CONCLUSIONS
CONCLUSIONS
The study's findings suggest that the measurements required for calculating SSDEs are robust to inter-observer and intra-observer differences. This is important for the clinical use of SSDEs to set diagnostic reference levels for CT scans.
Identifiants
pubmed: 39134971
doi: 10.1186/s12880-024-01397-z
pii: 10.1186/s12880-024-01397-z
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
209Informations de copyright
© 2024. The Author(s).
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