title: Semiautomated and automated algorithms for analysis of the carotid artery wall on computed tomography and sonography: a correlation study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to compare automated and semiautomated algorithms for analysis of carotid artery wall thickness and intima-media thickness on multidetector row computed tomographic (CT) angiography and sonography, respectively, and to study the correlation between them.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty consecutive patients underwent multidetector row CT angiographic and sonographic analysis of carotid arteries (mean age, 66 years; age range, 59-79 years). The intima-media thickness of the 40 carotid arteries was measured with novel and dedicated automated software analysis and by 4 observers who manually calculated the intima-media thickness. The carotid artery wall thickness was automatically estimated by using a specific algorithm and was also semiautomatically quantified. The correlation between groups was calculated by using the Pearson ρ statistic, and scatterplots were calculated. We evaluated intermethod agreement using Bland-Altman analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  By comparing automated carotid artery wall thickness, automated intima-media thickness, semiautomated carotid artery wall thickness, and semiautomated intima-media thickness analyses, a statistically significant association was found, with the highest values obtained for the association between semiautomated and automated intima-media thickness analyses(Pearson ρ = 0.9; 95% confidence interval, 0.82-0.95; P = 0.0001). The lowest values were obtained for the association between semiautomated intima-media thickness and automated carotid artery wall thickness analyses (Pearson ρ = 0.44; 95% confidence interval, 0.15-0.66; P = 0.0047). In the Bland-Altman analysis, the better results were obtained by comparing the semiautomated and automated algorithms for the study of intima-media thickness, with an interval of -16.1% to +43.6%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this preliminary study showed that carotid artery wall thickness and intima-media thickness can be studied with automated software, although the CT analysis needs to be further improved.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria di Cagliari-Polo di Monserrato, Cagliari, Italy. lucasaba@tiscali.it
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Saba
authors.forename: Niranjan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tallapally
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Molinari
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Anzidei
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Piga
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sanfilippo
authors.forename: Jasjit S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Suri
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000465:Algorithms; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D061330:Multidetector Computed Tomography; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed