title: Comparison between manual and automated analysis for the quantification of carotid wall by using sonography. A validation study with CT.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this paper was to compare manual and automated analysis for the quantification of carotid wall obtained with sonography by using the computed tomography as validation technique.
  
  
  METHODS
  21 consecutive patients underwent MDCTA and ultrasound analysis of carotid arteries (mean age 68 years; age range 59-81 years). The intima-media-thickness (IMT) of the 42 carotids was measured with novel and dedicated automated software analysis (called AtheroEdge™, Biomedical Technologies, Denver, CO, USA) and by four observers that manually calculated the IMT. The carotid artery wall thickness (CAWT) was also quantified in the CT datasets. Bland-Altman statistics was employed to measure the agreement between methods. A Student's t-test was used to test the differences between the IMT values of AtheroEdge™. The study obtained the IRB approval.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The correlation between automated AtheroEdge™ measurements and those of the human experts were equal to 95.5%, 73.5%, 88.9%, and 81.7%. The IMT coefficient of variation of the human experts was equal to 11.9%. By using a Student's t-test, the differences between the IMT values of AtheroEdge™ and those of the human experts were not found statistically significant (p value=0.02). On comparing AtheroEdge™ (using Ultrasound) with CAWT (using CT), the results suggested a very good concordance of 84.96%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Data of this preliminary study indicate that automated software AtheroEdge™ can analyze with precision the IMT of carotid arteries and that the concordance with CT is optimal.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria (A.O.U.), di Cagliari-Polo di Monserrato, s.s. 554 Monserrato (Cagliari) 09045, Italy. lucasaba@tiscali.it
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Saba
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Montisci
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Molinari
authors.forename: Niranjan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tallapally
authors.forename: Guang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mallarini
authors.forename: Jasjit S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Suri
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000465:Algorithms; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D016893:Carotid Stenosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010363:Pattern Recognition, Automated / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012984:Software; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000379:methods*