Postnatal ultrasound reliability in cerebellar vermis assessment.
BACKGROUND
Cerebellar growth in late gestation is impeded by prematurity which may adversely affect neurocognitive development. Assessment of cerebellar growth should be easily attainable, reliable and reproducible.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the reliability of linear sonographic cerebellar vermis measurement.


METHODS
Cranial ultrasounds of 110 infants ranging from 24 to 41 weeks' gestation were retrospectively reviewed. Cerebellar vermian height, craniocaudal diameter and superior and inferior vermis widths were independently measured on the first midline sagittal image by three neonatal sonologists of varying experience. Interobserver and intraobserver reliability were calculated using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) (2 way mixed model, SPSS V.15.0).


RESULTS
61 images were technically adequate. Interobserver ICCs (95% CI) were: cerebellar vermian height 0.88 (0.82 to 0.92); craniocaudal diameter 0.91 (0.86 to 0.94); superior vermis width 0.84 (0.77 to 0.89); inferior vermis width 0.92 (0.89 to 0.95). Intraobserver ICCs were similar.


CONCLUSIONS
With adequate images, linear ultrasound measurements of cerebellar vermis are reliable.
Department of Neonatal Services, The Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia. ruth.armstrong@rch.org.au
R K
RK
Armstrong
L M
LM
Fox
J L Y
JL
Cheong
P G
PG
Davis
S K
SK
Rogerson
D002531:Cerebellum / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000254:growth & development; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D008297:Male; D015588:Observer Variation; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014463:Ultrasonography