Inter- and intra-observer variability analysis of completely automated cIMT measurement software (AtheroEdge?) and its benchmarking against commercial ultrasound scanner and expert Readers

摘要

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the measurement error and inter- and intra-observer variability of completely off-line automated and semi-automated carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) measurement software (AtheroEdge?).Two hundred carotid ultrasound images from 50 asymptomatic women were analyzed. AtheroEdge? was benchmarked against a commercial system (Syngo, Siemens) using automated and semi-automated modes. The measurement error and inter- and intra-observer variability of AtheroEdge? were tested using three readings.The measurement error of AtheroEdge? compared to the commercial software was 0.002±0.019. mm (r=0.99) in the automated mode and -0.001±0.004. mm in the semi-automated mode (r=0.99). The measurement error of AtheroEdge? compared to the mean value of the three expert Readers (cIMT bias) for the automated and semi-automated methods was -0.0004±0.158. mm and -0.008±0.157. mm, respectively. The Figure-of-Merit was 99.8% and 99.9% when compared to the commercial ultrasound scanner (using the automated and semi-automated method, respectively) and was 99.9% and 98.9% when compared to the mean value of the three expert Readers. Regarding inter- and intra-observer variability, the intra-class correlation coefficient of the three independent users using the semi-automated AtheroEdge? was 0.98.AtheroEdge? showed a measurement performance comparable to the commercial ultrasound scanner software and the expert Readers' tracings. AtheroEdge? belongs to a class of automated systems that could find application in processing large datasets for common carotid arteries, avoiding subjectivity in cIMT measurements.