Intra- and interhospital repeatability of radionuclide left ventricular ejection fraction in post-infarction patients.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate intra- and interobserver and interhospital repeatability of radionuclide left ventricular ejection fraction in post-infarction patients.


METHODS
The study comprised 131 patients who were examined in three different hospitals 2-7 days post infarction. The radionuclide examinations were conducted in a standardized manner, and different observers carried out repeated measurements blind on the stored raw data.


RESULTS
The coefficients of variation were between 1.5% and 6.2%, and limits of agreement between +/- 0.012 and 0.056. There were no significant differences between the intra- and interobserver or interhospital repeatability in average, but some significant differences between individual observers were noted.


CONCLUSIONS
The repeatability of LVEF was acceptable, with limits of agreement in the range +/- 0.012-0.056. Some differences between observers and hence hospitals were noted, which may be of clinical relevance.
Hole
T
T
Medical Department, Central Hospital Møre and Romsdal, Alesund, Norway. torstein.hole@mr.telia.no
Asberg
A
A
Graven
T
T
Lied
A
A
Morstøl
T H
TH
Skjaerpe
T
T
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006761:Hospitals / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015588:Observer Variation; D015635:Radionuclide Ventriculography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013318:Stroke Volume; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology*