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Published on: February 3, 2016
Software-assisted quantitative analysis of small bowel motility compared to manual measurements
S Bickelhaupt1, J M Froehlich1, R Cattin2
1Department of Radiology, University Hospital Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
Aim:
To validate a newly developed software prototype that automatically analyses small bowel motility by comparing it directly with manual measurement.
Material And Methods:
Forty-five patients with clinical indication for small bowel magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were retrospectively included in this institutional review board-approved study. MRI was performed using a 1.5 T system following a standard MR-enterography protocol. Small bowel motility parameters (contractions-per-minute, luminal diameter, amplitude) were measured three times each in identical segments using the manual and the semiautomatic software-assisted method. The methods were compared for agreement, repeatability, and time needed for each measurement. All parameters were compared between the methods.
Results:
A total of 91 small-bowel segments were analysed. No significant intra-individual difference (p > 0.05) was found for peristaltic frequencies between the methods (mean: 4.14/min manual; 4.22/min software-assisted). Amplitudes (5.14 mm; 5.57 mm) and mean lumen diameters (17.39 mm; 14.68) differed due to systematic differences in the definition of the bowel wall. Mean duration of single measurement was significantly (p < 0.01) shorter with the software (6.25 min; 1.30 min). The scattering of repeated measurements was significantly (p < 0.05) lower using the software.
Conclusion:
The software-assisted method accomplished highly reliable, fast and accurate measurement of small bowel motility. Measurement precision and duration differed significantly between the two methods in favour of the software-assisted technique.
