Background: Treatment decisions for ascending aortic aneurysms are guided by measurements from CT angiograms.
Objective: The aim was to evaluate the reproducibility of these measurements by using manual techniques and advanced imaging software.
Methods: Two radiologists measured maximal ascending aorta diameter on CT angiograms in 30 subjects at 4 separate reading sessions-2 with manual techniques and 2 with semiautomated software analysis. Interobserver and intraobserver variabilities were assessed with Bland-Altman plots and Spearman correlation coefficients.
Results: Interobserver variability was smaller for the software-assisted method. Limits of agreement for the manual method were -4.2 mm and 9.2 mm compared with -4.0 mm and 4.6 mm for the software-assisted method; coefficients of repeatability were 6.8 mm and 4.3 mm. Intraobserver variability was inconsistent between readers. Strong correlation was found between observers who used both methods (R(2) = 0.8078-0.9881; P < .05 for all).
Conclusion: The use of an advanced imaging software for measurement of ascending aortic aneurysm reduces interobserver variability.
Keywords: Aneurysm; Aorta; CT angiogram; Centerline analysis; Measurement techniques; Measurement variability.
Copyright © 2014 Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.