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Accuracy, Agreement, and Reliability of Fetal Cardiac Measurements Using 4‐Dimensional Spatiotemporal Image Correlation
Author(s) -
Wang Nan,
Xie Hong-ning,
Peng Ruan,
Zheng Ju,
Zhu Yun-xiao
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of ultrasound in medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.574
H-Index - 91
eISSN - 1550-9613
pISSN - 0278-4297
DOI - 10.7863/jum.2012.31.11.1719
Subject(s) - medicine , intraclass correlation , confidence interval , limits of agreement , fetal echocardiography , reproducibility , correlation coefficient , nuclear medicine , reliability (semiconductor) , correlation , gestational age , observer (physics) , statistics , fetus , prenatal diagnosis , pregnancy , mathematics , geometry , quantum mechanics , biology , genetics , power (physics) , physics
Objectives The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy, agreement, and reliability of 4‐dimensional sonography using spatiotemporal image correlation (STIC) in fetal cardiac measurements during the second and third trimesters. Methods Four‐dimensional cardiac STIC volumes were acquired from 150 low‐risk singleton pregnancies at gestational ages of 18 to 38 weeks. A total of 11 dimensions of the fetal heart and great vessels were analyzed by two different observers. Accuracy was assessed by comparing the measurements acquired by 4‐dimensional STIC with those determined by 2‐dimensional echocardiography by calculating the mean error and mean percent error and depicted by Bland‐Altman plots. Absolute agreement and reliability of STIC‐based measurements were evaluated on the basis of an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Results For STIC‐based measurements of cardiac dimensions, good accuracy was achieved by the two experienced observers (mean percent error, −3.10% to 0.87% for observer A; −2.49% to −0.33% for observer B), and absolute agreement was almost perfect (ICC, 95% confidence interval, 0.916–0.993 for observer A; 0.957–0.990 for observer B). Interobserver ICCs among the two observers were between 0.909 and 0.990 (95% confidence interval), whereas intraobserver ICCs for observer A were between 0.894 and 0.989, and those for observer B were between 0.893 and 0.985, showing no significant differences in the reliability of SITC with regard to observers. Conclusions Four‐dimensional sonography with STIC is a feasible and accurate method for fetal cardiac dimension measurements in the second and third trimesters. It is in good agreement with 2‐dimensional echocardiography and can be performed by different observers.