Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
10691079 | Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology | 2016 | 9 Pages |
Abstract
The aim of this study was to validate inter-observer variability for strain ultrasound elastography (USE) and to compare the diagnostic performance of a combination of gray-scale ultrasound (US) and USE with that of gray-scale US. Three observers from different institutions evaluated gray-scale US images and USE video files of 443 cytopathologically proven benign or malignant thyroid nodules over a 3-mo period. Inter-observer variability did not statistically differ between USE using the Asteria criteria and gray-scale US; however, USE using the Rago criteria had the lowest inter-observer agreement (p < 0.043). For all three observers, sensitivity was increased by adding USE to gray-scale US (81.3%-88.3%, 75.4%-85.4%) compared with gray-scale US (70.4%-80.8%). Specificity was decreased by adding USE to gray-scale US (51.7%-59.1%, 59.1%-73.9%) compared with gray-scale US (69.0%-82.8%). USE and gray-scale US had comparable inter-observer variability. However, on addition of USE to gray-scale US, the additional diagnostic yield was limited compared with that of gray-scale US alone.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Physics and Astronomy
Acoustics and Ultrasonics
Authors
Jieun Koh, Hee Jung Moon, Jeong Seon Park, Soo Jin Kim, Ha Yan Kim, Eun-Kyung Kim, Jin Young Kwak,