title: Are Lung Imaging Reporting and Data System Categories Clear to Radiologists? A Survey of the Korean Society of Thoracic Radiology Members on Ten Difficult-to-Classify Scenarios.
abstract: To evaluate possible variability in chest radiologists' interpretations of the Lung Imaging Reporting and Data System (Lung-RADS) on difficult-to-classify scenarios.
  
  
  
  Ten scenarios of difficult-to-classify imaginary lung nodules were prepared as an online survey that targeted Korean Society of Thoracic Radiology members. In each question, a description was provided of the size, consistency, and interval change (new or growing) of a lung nodule observed using annual repeat computed tomography, and the respondent was instructed to choose one answer from five choices: category 2, 3, 4A, or 4B, or "un-categorizable." Consensus answers were established by members of the Korean Imaging Study Group for Lung Cancer.
  
  
  
  Of the 420 answers from 42 respondents (excluding multiple submissions), 310 (73.8%) agreed with the consensus answers; eleven (26.2%) respondents agreed with the consensus answers to six or fewer questions. Assigning the imaginary nodules to categories higher than the consensus answer was more frequent (16.0%) than assigning them to lower categories (5.5%), and the agreement rate was below 50% for two scenarios.
  
  
  
  When given difficult-to-classify scenarios, chest radiologists showed large variability in their interpretations of the Lung-RADS categories, with high frequencies of disagreement in some specific scenarios.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 06591, Korea.
authors.forename: Dae Hee
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Institute of Radiation Medicine, Seoul National University Medical Research Center, Seoul 03080, Korea.; Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University, Seoul 03080, Korea.
authors.forename: Jin Mo
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Goo
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Chung-Ang University Hospital, Chung-Ang University College of Medicine, Seoul 06973, Korea.
authors.forename: Semin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chong
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 06591, Korea.
authors.forename: Myeong Im
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Ahn
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D015588:Observer Variation; D000072177:Radiologists / Q000523:psychology*; D012955:Societies, Medical; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
keywords: Lung-RADS; Pulmonary nodule; Questionnaires; Screening