The Visual Scoring of Emphysema With High-resolution Computed Tomography Examination: Intraobserver and Interobserver Correlations

Abstract

Purpose: The subjective visual assessment is usually used on the hard-copy film or CT monitorfor assessment of emphysema. This method has a higher interobserver and intraobserverdiscrepancy than quantitative analyzes. In this study, the effect of interobserver and intraobserverdiscrepancy was investigated on subjective visual scoring of conventional images andemphysematous parenchyma images which is gained with the density mask method.Material and Methods: In this study, ten emphysematous patient and seven healthy subjectswere examined. HRCT images were scored on the standard hard-copy film and emphysematousparenchymal window settings as the distribution and severity of emphysema by two observers.Total emphysema score was calculated for each patient and the interobserver and intraobservercorrelations were evaluated.Results: An increase was observed in 19 scores of distribution and 30 scores of severity. Theinterobserver correlation was observed in both conventional images and emphysematousparenchyma images. In addition, an intraobserver correlation was also observed similar tointerobserver correlation.Conclusion: The visual scoring methodology of patients with emphysema can be easilyapplicable in HRCT examination of emphysematous parenchymal window. Intraobservercorrelation was increased, and the concordance was reduced in repeated assessments ofphysicians with this method

Keywords

• emphysema,visual scoring,density mask,correlation

Amfizemin Yüksek Rezolüsyonlu Bilgisayarlı Tomografi İncelemesinde Görsel Skorlama: Gözlemci İçi ve Gözlemciler Arasında Korelasyon

Abstract

Amaç: Amfizem değerlendirmesinde genellikle hard-copy film veya BT ekranı üzerindesubjektif görsel değerlendirme kullanılmaktadır. Bu yöntemde gözlemciler arası ve gözlemciiçi uyumsuzluk kantitatif analizlere oranla yüksektir. Bu çalışmanın amacı density mask yöntemikullanılarak segmentasyon analizi ile elde edilen amfizematöz parankim görüntüleri ilekonvansiyonel görüntülerin gözlemciler arası ve gözlemci içi subjektif skorlamaya etkisiniaraştırmaktır.Gereç ve Yöntem: Çalışmada 10’u amfizemli 7’si sağlıklı birey incelendi. YRBT kesitleri ikigözlemci tarafından standart hard-copy filmden ve amfizematöz parankim pencerelerindeamfizemin yaygınlığı ve şiddeti olmak üzere skorlandı. Her hastada total amfizem skorlarıhesaplandı ve gözlemciler arası ve gözlemci içi korelasyona bakıldı.Bulgular: Gözlemcilerin yaptıkları skorlamada; yaygınlık skorlarında 19 skorda, şiddetskorlarında 30 skorda artış izlendi. Gözlemciler arasında hem konvansiyonel hem desegmentasyon penceresinde korelasyon vardı. Ayrıca gözlemciler arası korelayona benzerşekilde gözlemci içi korelasyon da izlendi.Sonuç: Amfizemli hastalarda YRBT incelemesinin amfizematöz parankim penceresinde görselskorlanması kolay uygulanabilir bir metodolojidir. Bu metod ile gözlemciler arasındaki uyumartmakta ve gözlemcilerin tekrar eden değerlendirmelerindeki uyumsuzluk azaltmaktadır

Keywords

• amfizem,görsel skorlama,density mask,korelasyon

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