Reproducibility of the automatic calculation of average intima-media thickness (IMT), in the carotids' ultrasound study: preliminary results

Congress:

ECR 2018

Poster Number:

C-2665

Type:

Scientific Exhibit

Keywords:

Vascular, Arteries / Aorta, Ultrasound physics, Ultrasound-Colour Doppler, Ultrasound, Ultrasound-Power Doppler, Observer performance, Decision analysis, Diagnostic procedure, Arteriosclerosis, Hypertension, Ischaemia / Infarction

Authors:

G. Lastella¹, F. Wiedenmann¹, M. Alì², F. Secchi², G. Di Leo², F. Sardanelli¹; ¹Milan/IT, ²San Donato Milanese/IT

DOI:

10.1594/ecr2018/C-2665

DOI-Link:

https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/ecr2018/C-2665

Fig. 1: Measurement of the average intima-media thickness with the manual method

Fig. 2: Measurement of the average intima-media thickness with the automatic method

Table 1: Values obtained in three measurements with automatic and manual intima-media...

Aims and objectives

Ischemic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease are two of the ten leading causes of years of life lost(1). Both of these diseases have the same underlying vascular physiopathology mechanism, atherosclerosis(2). Color-Doppler ultrasonography of supra-aortic vessels (US-SV) is a well-documented exam for the study of carotids, especially for those patients who are at high risk of complications (3). Intima-media thickness (IMT) is a well-known ultrasound marker, non-invasive and easily repeatable that can help physicians in the diagnosis of carotids pathology(4),(5),(6),(7),(8). The problem of data variability in...

Methods and materials

In IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, 200 consecutive patients (range: 33-94 years, mean ± standard deviation: 70 ± 11 years) underwent to Doppler examination have been retrospectively evaluated. Samsung RS80 sonograph with a linear 7.5MhZ trasducer was used. The average IMT of one of the common carotids (CC) has been calculated in three different moments on the same image by a specialized radiologist firstly (R1), by a second reader secondly (R2, 1) and by the second reader after 21 days (R2, 2). This method has been...

Results

In the automatic reading, average IMT, QI and L were respectively: · 0,67 ± 0,14 (mean ± standard deviation), 0,85 ± 0,21 and 129,18 ± 67,83 for R1; · 0,67 ± 0,15, 0,86 ± 0,21 and 113,69 ± 40,61 for R2, 1; · 0,67 ± 0,14, 0,86 ± 0,23 and 114,87 ± 41,27 for R2, 2. The intraoperator reproducibility results 76%, instead the interoperator is 75%. In the manual reading, average IMT was: · 0,74 ± 0,15 for R1; · 0,76 ± 0,17 for R2,...

Conclusion

The evidence on the reproducibility of automatic IMT is satisfactory, especially if compared with the reproducibility of the manual reading. Even though research needs other insights, in clinical practice the auto-IMT technique provides a reproducible marker that can be considered as an added value in the study of cardiovascular risk.

Personal information

Giulia Lastella,MD Postgraduation School in Radiodiagnostics Università degli Studi di Milano,Via Festa del Perdono 7, 20122 Milan, Italy Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda - Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan,Italy

References

1. Global, regional, and national age-sex specific mortality for 264 causes of death, 1980-2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016. GBD 2016 Causes of Death Collaborators, GBD 2016 Causes of Death. 10100, 2017, Lancet (London, England), Vol. 390, pp. 1151-1210. 2. Post-processing reproducibility of the structural characteristics of the common carotid artery in a Flemish population. Efremov, Ljupcho. 2017, Artery research, Vol. 19, pp. 9-17. 3. Relationship between carotid intima-media thickness, cytokines, atherosclerosis extent and a two-year cardiovascular risk in...