AJR Women's Imaging Online
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

This Article
Right arrow Figures Only
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Buchanan, G. N.
Right arrow Articles by Bartram, C.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Buchanan, G. N.
Right arrow Articles by Bartram, C.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati  
What's this?
Hotlight (NEW!)
Right arrow
What's Hotlight?
AJR 2004; 183:135-140
© American Roentgen Ray Society

MRI of Fistula In Ano: Inter- and Intraobserver Agreement and Effects of Directed Education

Gordon N. Buchanan1, Steve Halligan2, Stuart Taylor2, Andrew Williams1, Richard Cohen1 and Clive Bartram2

1 Department of Surgery, St. Marks Hospital, Intestinal Imaging, Middlesex, England.
2 Intestinal Imaging Centre, St. Marks Hospital, Level 4V, Watford Rd., Harrow, Middlesex, England HA1 3UJ.

OBJECTIVE. Preoperative MRI of fistula in ano is becoming more common. This prospective study aimed to determine if a significant difference occurred in interpretation between one expert and one novice observer and to assess inter- and intraobserver agreement after both observers underwent a period of directed education.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS. An outcome-derived reference standard was defined in 100 patients with suspected fistula in ano via a combination of preoperative MRI, surgical findings, and clinical outcome. The performances of a single expert and a single novice interpreter were compared with this reference standard both before and after a period of directed education, and inter- and intraobserver agreement was determined.

RESULTS. Initially the expert correctly classified significantly more fistulas than the novice (85% vs 63%, p = 0.024), but after directed education there was no significant difference, with good agreement for both the classification of the primary track ({kappa} = 0.71) and identification of extensions (k = 0.61). Intraobserver agreement was very good for the expert ({kappa} = 0.92) and novice ({kappa} = 0.88) for classification of the primary track and good ({kappa} = 0.64 and 0.74, respectively) for identification of extensions.

CONCLUSION. The diagnostic accuracy for fistula in ano classification using MRI was significantly higher for one expert than for one novice, though this was rectified by a short period of directed education.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?




HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2004 by the American Roentgen Ray Society.