Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Hemodynamic features of brain AVMs may portend increased hemorrhage risk. Previous studies have suggested that MTT is shorter in ruptured AVMs as assessed on quantitative color-coded parametric DSA. This study assesses the interrater reliability of MTT measurements obtained using quantitative color-coded DSA.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-five color-coded parametric DSA images of 34 brain AVMs were analyzed by 4 neuroradiologists with experience in interventional neuroradiology. Hemodynamic features assessed included MTT of the AVM and TTP of the dominant feeding artery and draining vein. Agreement among the 4 raters was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient.
RESULTS: The interrater reliability among the 4 raters was poor (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.218; 95% CI, 0.062–0.414; P value = .002) as it related to MTT assessment. When the analysis was limited to cases in which the raters selected the same image to analyze and selected the same primary feeding artery and the same primary draining vein, interrater reliability improved to fair (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.564; 95% CI, 0.367–0.717; P < .001).
CONCLUSIONS: Interrater reliability in deriving color-coded parametric DSA measurements such as MTT is poor so minor differences among raters may result in a large variance in MTT and TTP results, partly due to the sensitivity and 2D nature of the technique. Reliability can be improved by defining a standard projection, feeding artery, and draining vein for analysis.
ABBREVIATIONS:
- AUC
- area under the curve
- bAVM
- brain AVM
- cDSA
- color-coded parametric quantitative DSA
- ICC
- intraclass correlation coefficient
- IQR
- interquartile range
- PCA
- posterior cerebral artery
- SCA
- superior cerebellar artery
Footnotes
This work was supported by National Institutes of Health National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke R01grant NS099628 and NIH NINDS U54 NS065705.
Disclosures: Jeffrey Nelson—RELATED: Grant: National Institutes of Health.* Kerstin Mueller—RELATED: Other: employed by Siemens; UNRELATED: Employment: Siemens. Steven W. Hetts—UNRELATED: Grants/Grants Pending: Siemens, Comments: research contracts for X-ray angiography systems*. Christopher F. Dowd—UNRELATED: Other: Stryker, Comments: I serve as Chief Adjudicator of the Angio Core Lab for the EVOLVE flow-diverter clinical trial (department salary support).* Helen Kim—RELATED: Grant: National Institutes of Health, Comments: R01NS034949.* *Money paid to institution.
- © 2020 by American Journal of Neuroradiology
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