Reliability of computed tomographic angiography 3-D method of ruptured intracranial aneurysm measurements

Abstract

Aim: With the availability of multidetector computed tomography, 3-D display and measurements of cerebral aneurysms can be performed routinely. Although the 3-D method is more intuitive, 3-D measurements can be more operator dependent. Few data are available on interobserver variability and intraobserver reproducibility. We aimed to assess the interobserver and intraobserver reliability using both planar and 3-D methods. Patients and Methods: A total of 48 subarachnoid haemorrhage patients were recruited into the study. Results: Aneurysm dimensions showed medium-to-large correlations among observers using the planar method, and large correlations for the 3-D method. The average Kendall's tau b coefficients among observers of aneurysm dimensions were significantly better for 3-D methods compared to the planar method. Excellent correlations in planar and 3-D aneurysm dimensions were found between repeated measurements (Kendall's tau b coefficients: 0.90-0.97; all P<0.001). Conclusion: High interobserver and intraobserver reliability was found for 3-D assessments of aneurysm dimensions in computed tomographic angiography (CTA) for aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage. Thus, the 3-D method of aneurysm measurement can provide a reliable CTA assessment for cerebral aneurysm and data comparisons among different studies. © 2012 The Authors. Surgical Practice © 2012 College of Surgeons of Hong Kong.