Coronary artery calcification scoring by prospectively triggered multidetector-row computed tomography: is it reproducible?
The objective of this study was to measure the interobserver and interscan variation of coronary artery calcium scores using multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT). Seventy-five patients underwent 2 sequential MDCT scans for coronary artery calcification. Each patient's score was separately measured by 3-blinded radiologists. Scores were treated as discrete and continuous data, and independent statistical analysis was performed on all results. There was a high proportion of interscan and inter-reader concordance for the presence of coronary calcium (range, 0.893-0.973) and for its quantity (range, 0.936-0.988). Overall, prospectively triggered multidetector-row calcium scoring is reproducible though there is more variation in those patients with already high scores. There is no need to scan patients twice at the same sitting.
Lawler
Leo P
LP
Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, 601 North Caroline Street, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.
Horton
Karen M
KM
Scatarige
John C
JC
Phelps
John
J
Thompson
Richard E
RE
Choi
Leena
L
Fishman
Elliot K
EK
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015588:Observer Variation; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods