title: Scoring of the radiological picture of idiopathic interstitial pneumonia: a study to verify the reliability of the method.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a clinical form of usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP). Computed chest tomography (CT) has a fundamental role in the multidisciplinary diagnostics. However, it has not been verified if and how a subjective opinion of a radiologists or pneumologists can influence the assessment and overall diagnostic summary.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To verify the reliability of the scoring system.
  
  
  METHODS
  Assessment of conformity of the radiological score of high-resolution CT (HRCT) of lungs in patients with IPF was performed by a group of radiologists and pneumologists. Personal data were blinded and the assessment was performed independently using the Dutka/Vasakova scoring system (modification of the Gay system). The final score of the single assessors was then evaluated by means of the paired Spearman's correlation and analysis of the principal components.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two principal components explaining cumulatively a 62% or 73% variability of the assessment of the single assessors were extracted during the analysis. The groups did not differ both in terms of specialty and experience with the assessment of the HRCT findings.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  According to our study, scoring of a radiological image using the Dutka/Vasakova system is a reliable method in the hands of experienced radiologists. Significant differences occur during the assessment performed by pneumologists especially during the evaluation of the alveolar changes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kocova
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Jiri
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vanasek
authors.affiliation: Department of Pneumology, University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Vladimir
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Koblizek
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Imunology and Allergology, University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Jakub
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Novosad
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Pavel
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Elias
authors.affiliation: Department of Pneumology, University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Vladimir
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bartos
authors.affiliation: Department of Pneumology First Faculty of Medicine, Thomayer Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sterclova
keywords: HRCT; Usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP); alveolar pattern; interstitial pattern; reliability; score system