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Terms, definitions and measurements to describe the sonographic features of adnexal tumors: a consensus opinion from the International Ovarian Tumor Analysis (IOTA) group
Author(s) -
Timmerman D.,
Valentin L.,
Bourne T. H.,
Collins W. P.,
Verrelst H.,
Vergote I.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
ultrasound in obstetrics and gynecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.202
H-Index - 141
eISSN - 1469-0705
pISSN - 0960-7692
DOI - 10.1046/j.1469-0705.2000.00287.x
Subject(s) - obstetrics and gynaecology , medicine , university hospital , general hospital , gynecology , obstetrics , family medicine , pregnancy , genetics , biology
the problem became more apparent to us during the planning stage of an international, multicenter study to characterize adnexal masses by ultrasonographic criteria using the histologic and surgical classification of each mass as the reference procedure. A detailed review of the literature had revealed considerable variation in the diagnostic accuracy of test procedures 2 . There had also been much discussion and more recently a report that the use of diagnostic algorithms derived from the retrospective analysis of data in a particular center 3‐5 does not produce such good results when used prospectively in another center 6 . The possibility arose that both findings might be explained, at least in part, by differences in the interpretation and use of terms and definitions of the diagnostic end-points. Consequently, a new initiative was started to address the problem, which of necessity involved the participation of researchers from different centers; the participants comprise the International Ovarian Tumor Analysis (IOTA) group (see list below). The steering committee for the study held special meetings to discuss the problems of standardization and to formulate terms and procedures to derive morphologic end-points by Bmode imaging and end-points of vascularity and blood flow by color Doppler imaging. The recommendations of the steering committee were distributed to each participating center and subsequently refined after meeting with the principal investigators. The following consensus opinion is being used in the multicenter study and in our routine practices. We hope that the outcome of our deliberations will stimulate further debate, which will eventually lead to internationally agreed terms and definitions within our speciality.