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Detection of heart calcification with electron beam CT: interobserver and intraobserver reliability for scoring
R B Kaufmann1, P F Sheedy, J F Breen
1Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Purpose:
To assess interobserver and intraobserver reliability of three quantitative measures of coronary artery calcium burden: calcium "score," number of calcified lesions, and calcified area.
Materials And Methods:
Electron beam computed tomographic (CT) scanning was used in a series of 25 patients to detect coronary artery calcification. Scan results were reviewed for quality by a radiologist, then scored by two radiologic technologists and by another radiologist.
Results:
Many interobserver and intraobserver disagreements were noted on a lesion-by-lesion basis. Since most disagreements involved very small lesions, however, their impact was negligible for all three measures of calcium burden.
Conclusion:
It is not useful for more than one observer to independently score a single CT examination obtained to detect cardiac calcification, even when the arteries are heavily calcified.