Consistency in manual scoring analysis of gastrointestinal pressure recordings

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the consistency in visual scoring and whether this could be the basis for computer analysis using pattern recognition techniques. We studied the consistency of visual scoring of pressure tracings from the upper gastrointestinal tract with regard to pressure wave identification. The aim was to make such an identification the golden standard for computerized analysis of pressure waves. Pressure recordings containing different phases of contraction activity were evaluated by five trained observers. The inter- and intra-observer agreement was highest in periods with high contraction activity (phase III), both of which were better than 90%. In periods with low contraction activity (phases I and II) this agreement was as low as 49%. The results indicate that forming a learning set for pattern recognition should only be based on visual scoring during phase-III activity.