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Digital Otoscopy Videos Versus Composite Images: A Reader Study to Compare the Accuracy of ENT Physicians
Author(s) -
Binol Hamidullah,
Niazi Muhammad Khalid Khan,
Essig Garth,
Shah Jay,
Mattingly Jameson K.,
Harris Michael S.,
Elmaraghy Charles,
Teknos Theodoros,
TajSchaal Nazhat,
Yu Lianbo,
Gurcan Metin N.,
Moberly Aaron C.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
the laryngoscope
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.181
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1531-4995
pISSN - 0023-852X
DOI - 10.1002/lary.29253
Subject(s) - medical diagnosis , clips , computer science , medicine , otorhinolaryngology , medical physics , eardrum , telemedicine , artificial intelligence , radiology , surgery , health care , economics , economic growth
Objectives/Hypothesis With the increasing emphasis on developing effective telemedicine approaches in Otolaryngology, this study explored whether a single composite image stitched from a digital otoscopy video provides acceptable diagnostic information to make an accurate diagnosis, as compared with that provided by the full video. Study Design Diagnostic survey analysis. Methods Five Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) physicians reviewed the same set of 78 digital otoscope eardrum videos from four eardrum conditions: normal, effusion, retraction, and tympanosclerosis, along with the composite images generated by a SelectStitch method that selectively uses video frames with computer‐assisted selection, as well as a Stitch method that incorporates all the video frames. Participants provided a diagnosis for each item along with a rating of diagnostic confidence. Diagnostic accuracy for each pathology of SelectStitch was compared with accuracy when reviewing the entire video clip and when reviewing the Stitch image. Results There were no significant differences in diagnostic accuracy for physicians reviewing SelectStitch images and full video clips, but both provided better diagnostic accuracy than Stitch images. The inter‐reader agreement was moderate. Conclusions Equal to using full video clips, composite images of eardrums generated by SelectStitch provided sufficient information for ENTs to make the correct diagnoses for most pathologies. These findings suggest that use of a composite eardrum image may be sufficient for telemedicine approaches to ear diagnosis, eliminating the need for storage and transmission of large video files, along with future applications for improved documentation in electronic medical record systems, patient/family counseling, and clinical training. Level of Evidence 3 Laryngoscope , 131:E1668–E1676, 2021