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Comparative analysis of 2- versus 3-dimensional sonography of the supraspinatus tendon
Catherine L Hayter1, Theodore T Miller, Joseph T Nguyen
1Department of Radiology and Imaging, Hospital for Special Surgery, 535 E 70th St, New York, NY 10021, USA.
Objectives:
The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability in the analysis of images acquired using a dedicated 3-dimensional (3D) ultrasound transducer and conventional 2-dimensional (2D) images in the detection and characterization of supraspinatus tendon tears.
Methods:
Images of the supraspinatus tendon in 42 patients who had undergone 2D and 3D sonography were classified by two readers independently as no tear, full-thickness tear, or partial-thickness tear. When present, the tear size and location were recorded. Inter- and intra-rater reliability for the two data sets were calculated.
Results:
There was substantial agreement between the two readers in the classification of supraspinatus tendon tears on 2D images (κ = 0.79) but only moderate agreement on 3D images (κ = 0.48). There was moderate to substantial agreement in the classification of tears between the 2D and 3D images for both readers (reader 1, κ = 0.64; reader 2, κ= 0.54). The most common cause of a discordant result was the interpretation of a small hypoechoic region at the footprint as a partial tear on 3D images, compared to a normal appearance on 2D images.
Conclusions:
Use of a dedicated 3D ultrasound transducer has poorer inter- and intra-rater reliability for the assessment of supraspinatus tendon tears compared to 2D sonography because of the interpretation of small partial-thickness tears at the footprint on 3D images, a common region affected by anisotropy.
