Cargando…

Interobserver variability in ultrasound assessment of thyroid nodules

The first diagnostic tool for thyroid disease management is ultrasound. Despite its importance, ultrasound is an extremely subjective procedure that requires a high level of performance skill. Few studies have assessed thyroid ultrasound performance and its effectiveness, particularly the variabilit...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Alyami, Jaber, Almutairi, Fahad F., Aldoassary, Sultan, Albeshry, Amani, Almontashri, Ali, Abounassif, Mazen, Alamri, Majed
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 2022
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9575780/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36254067
http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000031106
_version_ 1784811386079019008
author Alyami, Jaber
Almutairi, Fahad F.
Aldoassary, Sultan
Albeshry, Amani
Almontashri, Ali
Abounassif, Mazen
Alamri, Majed
author_facet Alyami, Jaber
Almutairi, Fahad F.
Aldoassary, Sultan
Albeshry, Amani
Almontashri, Ali
Abounassif, Mazen
Alamri, Majed
author_sort Alyami, Jaber
collection PubMed
description The first diagnostic tool for thyroid disease management is ultrasound. Despite its importance, ultrasound is an extremely subjective procedure that requires a high level of performance skill. Few studies have assessed thyroid ultrasound performance and its effectiveness, particularly the variability between observers in the assessment of ultrasound images. This study evaluated the variability in ultrasound assessments and diagnoses of thyroid nodules between 2 radiologists. In this retrospective study, 75 thyroid nodules in 39 patients were reviewed by 2 experienced radiologists. The nodule composition, margin, shape, calcification, and vasculitis were determined using echogenicity. The study evaluation included these 5 assessments and the final diagnosis. Interobserver variation was determined using Cohen kappa statistics. The interobserver agreements in the interpretation of echogenicity, shape, and margin were fair (κ = 0.21–0.40), whereas there were substantial agreements for vascularity and calcification (κ = 0.62–0.78). The agreements between the observers for individual ultrasound features in this study were the highest for vascularity and the presence/absence of calcification. The interobserver reproducibility for thyroid nodule ultrasound reporting was adequate, but the diagnostic evaluation ability of the observers was inconsistent. The variability in the interpretation of sonographic features could influence the level of suspicion of thyroid malignancy. This study emphasizes the need for consistency in the training of sonographic interpretation of thyroid nodules, particularly for echogenicity, shape, and margin.
format Online
Article
Text
id pubmed-9575780
institution National Center for Biotechnology Information
language English
publishDate 2022
publisher Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
record_format MEDLINE/PubMed
spelling pubmed-95757802022-10-17 Interobserver variability in ultrasound assessment of thyroid nodules Alyami, Jaber Almutairi, Fahad F. Aldoassary, Sultan Albeshry, Amani Almontashri, Ali Abounassif, Mazen Alamri, Majed Medicine (Baltimore) 6800 The first diagnostic tool for thyroid disease management is ultrasound. Despite its importance, ultrasound is an extremely subjective procedure that requires a high level of performance skill. Few studies have assessed thyroid ultrasound performance and its effectiveness, particularly the variability between observers in the assessment of ultrasound images. This study evaluated the variability in ultrasound assessments and diagnoses of thyroid nodules between 2 radiologists. In this retrospective study, 75 thyroid nodules in 39 patients were reviewed by 2 experienced radiologists. The nodule composition, margin, shape, calcification, and vasculitis were determined using echogenicity. The study evaluation included these 5 assessments and the final diagnosis. Interobserver variation was determined using Cohen kappa statistics. The interobserver agreements in the interpretation of echogenicity, shape, and margin were fair (κ = 0.21–0.40), whereas there were substantial agreements for vascularity and calcification (κ = 0.62–0.78). The agreements between the observers for individual ultrasound features in this study were the highest for vascularity and the presence/absence of calcification. The interobserver reproducibility for thyroid nodule ultrasound reporting was adequate, but the diagnostic evaluation ability of the observers was inconsistent. The variability in the interpretation of sonographic features could influence the level of suspicion of thyroid malignancy. This study emphasizes the need for consistency in the training of sonographic interpretation of thyroid nodules, particularly for echogenicity, shape, and margin. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 2022-10-14 /pmc/articles/PMC9575780/ /pubmed/36254067 http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000031106 Text en Copyright © 2022 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial License 4.0 (CCBY-NC) (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) , where it is permissible to download, share, remix, transform, and buildup the work provided it is properly cited. The work cannot be used commercially without permission from the journal.
spellingShingle 6800
Alyami, Jaber
Almutairi, Fahad F.
Aldoassary, Sultan
Albeshry, Amani
Almontashri, Ali
Abounassif, Mazen
Alamri, Majed
Interobserver variability in ultrasound assessment of thyroid nodules
title Interobserver variability in ultrasound assessment of thyroid nodules
title_full Interobserver variability in ultrasound assessment of thyroid nodules
title_fullStr Interobserver variability in ultrasound assessment of thyroid nodules
title_full_unstemmed Interobserver variability in ultrasound assessment of thyroid nodules
title_short Interobserver variability in ultrasound assessment of thyroid nodules
title_sort interobserver variability in ultrasound assessment of thyroid nodules
topic 6800
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9575780/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36254067
http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000031106
work_keys_str_mv AT alyamijaber interobservervariabilityinultrasoundassessmentofthyroidnodules
AT almutairifahadf interobservervariabilityinultrasoundassessmentofthyroidnodules
AT aldoassarysultan interobservervariabilityinultrasoundassessmentofthyroidnodules
AT albeshryamani interobservervariabilityinultrasoundassessmentofthyroidnodules
AT almontashriali interobservervariabilityinultrasoundassessmentofthyroidnodules
AT abounassifmazen interobservervariabilityinultrasoundassessmentofthyroidnodules
AT alamrimajed interobservervariabilityinultrasoundassessmentofthyroidnodules