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Published on: March 8, 2019
Analysis of the thoracic aorta using a semi-automated post processing tool
Pegah Entezari1, Aya Kino, Amir R Honarmand
1Department of Radiology, Cardiovascular Imaging, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States. p-entezari@northwestern.edu
Insights
A semi-automated method for thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA) measurement using ECG-gated Dual Source CT Angiogram (DSCTA) is feasible. This approach offers reduced post-processing time compared to manual measurements.
Area of Science:
- Radiology and Imaging
- Cardiovascular Imaging
- Medical Device Technology
Background:
- Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm (TAA) measurement is crucial for diagnosis and management.
- Traditional manual measurement methods can be time-consuming and prone to variability.
- ECG-gated Dual Source CT Angiogram (DSCTA) provides high-resolution imaging of the thoracic aorta.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the feasibility and accuracy of a semi-automated method for TAA measurement.
- To compare the performance of semi-automated measurements with the standard manual method.
- To assess the time efficiency of the semi-automated approach.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective study of 50 patients using ECG-gated DSCTA.
- Measurements of thoracic aorta dimensions at seven anatomic locations using both manual and semi-automated software.
- Evaluation of inter-method, intra-observer, and inter-observer agreement using ICC and Bland-Altman plots.
Main Results:
- The semi-automated method demonstrated strong agreement with manual measurements (ICC ≥ 0.9) with a mean difference <1.3mm.
- Post-processing time was significantly reduced with the semi-automated tool (8.26 min) compared to the manual method (19 min).
- Manual adjustments for center line and contour were required, with the annulus showing the highest rate of correction.
Conclusions:
- Semi-automated measurement of thoracic aorta dimensions is feasible and accurate.
- The semi-automated method offers a significant advantage in reduced post-processing time.
- This technique can improve efficiency in TAA assessment using DSCTA.
Objective:
To evaluates a semi-automated method for Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm (TAA) measurement using ECG-gated Dual Source CT Angiogram (DSCTA).
Methods:
This retrospective HIPAA compliant study was approved by our IRB. Transaxial maximum diameters of outer wall to outer wall were studied in fifty patients at seven anatomic locations of the thoracic aorta: annulus, sinus, sinotubular junction (STJ), mid ascending aorta (MAA) at the level of right pulmonary artery, proximal aortic arch (PROX) immediately proximal to innominate artery, distal aortic arch (DIST) immediately distal to left subclavian artery, and descending aorta (DESC) at the level of diaphragm. Measurements were performed using a manual method and semi-automated software. All readers repeated their measurements. Inter-method, intra-observer and inter-observer agreements were evaluated according to intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Bland-Altman plot. The number of cases with manual contouring or center line adjustment for the semi-automated method and also the post-processing time for each method were recorded.
Results:
The mean difference between semi-automated and manual methods was less than 1.3mm at all seven points. Strong inter-method, inter-observer and intra-observer agreement was recorded at all levels (ICC ≥ 0.9). The maximum rate of manual adjustment of center line and contour was at the level of annulus. The average time for manual post-processing of the aorta was 19 ± 0.3 min, while it took 8.26 ± 2.1 min to do the measurements with the semi-automated tool (Vitrea version 6.0.0.1 software). The center line was edited manually at all levels, with most corrections at the level of annulus (60%), while the contour was adjusted at all levels with highest and lowest number of corrections at the levels of annulus and DESC (75% and 0.07% of the cases), respectively.
Conclusion:
Compared to the commonly used manual method, semi-automated measurement of vessel dimensions is feasible in the thoracic aorta with the advantage of reduced post-processing time.
