Accuracy Of Image Interpretation Research Articles

Study on ground-penetrating radar wave field characteristics for earth dam disease considering the medium randomness

Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) has been widely used for non-destructive testing of earth dam disease. However, the forward simulation of GPR for earth dam disease often employs layered homogeneous models, neglecting the influence of medium randomness on its wave field characteristics. Therefore, considering the randomness of the medium, a geoelectrical model for earth dam disease is established, which is based on the mixed-type autocorrelation function and the finite element time-domain method. The influence of random medium model parameters on the single-channel wave of GPR is analyzed. The electromagnetic wave propagation characteristics under different medium models are explored. The forward simulation of GPR for earth dam disease such as panel voiding, concentrated seepage, and loosening are performed. The differences in propagation characteristics for earth dam disease between uniform medium model and random medium model are compared. Compared to the calculation results of the uniform medium model, the propagation speed and amplitude of electromagnetic waves in the random medium model changes, and a number of diffraction waves are present. When performing forward simulation of GPR for earth dam disease, considering medium randomness can deepen the understanding of the GPR section view and help improve the accuracy of image interpretation.

Fetal and neonatal post-mortem imaging referral template: recommendations from the European Society of Paediatric Radiology Post-mortem Task Force.

In post-mortem (PM) fetal and neonatal imaging, relevant clinical information is crucial for accurate interpretation and diagnosis; however, it is usually incomplete. To propose a standardized template for PM fetal and neonatal imaging referrals to enhance communication between referring clinicians and reporting radiologists. A modified Delphi approach was conducted amongst members of the European Society of Paediatric Radiology (ESPR) PM Task Force and other recommended PM imaging specialists worldwide to determine consensus on necessary information. These were based on three pre-existing referral templates already in use across a variety of centers. The study ran for 4months (December 2023-April 2024). Nineteen specialists from 17 centers worldwide formed our expert panel. The final agreed referral template information includes the patient's identification details (mother and fetus when available), fetal/neonatal information (gestational age, sex, type of demise (including type of termination of pregnancy (i.e., surgical or medical)), date and time of fetal demise (+ delivery) or neonatal death, singleton/multiple pregnancy, clinical information (obstetrical history, prenatal imaging findings, amniocentesis findings, physical external examination findings), provisional clinical diagnosis, and ordering physician's information. A comprehensive referral template has been created, representing expert consensus on the minimum data required for the conduct of quality PM fetal and neonatal imaging, with the goal of facilitating accuracy of image interpretation.

Comparative Evaluation of Fundus Image Interpretation Accuracy in Glaucoma Screening Among Different Physician Groups [Letter

Comparative Evaluation of Fundus Image Interpretation Accuracy in Glaucoma Screening Among Different Physician Groups [Letter

Comparative Evaluation of Fundus Image Interpretation Accuracy in Glaucoma Screening Among Different Physician Groups [Response to Letter

Comparative Evaluation of Fundus Image Interpretation Accuracy in Glaucoma Screening Among Different Physician Groups [Response to Letter

Comparative Evaluation of Fundus Image Interpretation Accuracy in Glaucoma Screening Among Different Physician Groups.

To examine the variability in glaucoma screening using fundus images among physicians, including non-ophthalmologists. Sixty-nine eyes from 69 patients, including 25 eyes with glaucoma, were included from the Jikei University Hospital from July 2019 to December 2022. Fundus images were captured using TRC-NW8 (Topcon Corporation, Tokyo, Japan), and were interpreted by 10 non-ophthalmologists, 10 non-specialist ophthalmologists, and 9 specialists for diagnostic accuracy. We analyzed differences in diagnostic accuracy among the three groups. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and Kappa coefficient were compared, using the Kruskal-Wallis test followed by a post hoc Dunn's test. The sensitivity and specificity were 0.22 and 0.92 for non-ophthalmologists, 0.49 and 0.83 for non-specialist ophthalmologists, and 0.68 and 0.87 for specialists, respectively. Both specialists and non-specialist ophthalmologists showed significantly higher sensitivity than non-ophthalmologists (Dunn's test, P<0.001 and P=0.031). There was no significant difference in specificity among the three groups (Kruskal-Wallis test, P=0.086). The PPV did not differ significantly between the groups (Kruskal-Wallis test, P=0.108), while the NPV was significantly higher in specialists compared to non-ophthalmologists (Dunn's test, P<0.001). Specialists also had a significantly higher Kappa coefficient than non-ophthalmologists and non-specialist ophthalmologists (Dunn's test, P<0.001 and P=0.024). Diagnostic accuracy varied significantly based on the physician's background.

EU-Net: Automatic U-Net neural architecture search with differential evolutionary algorithm for medical image segmentation

Medical images are crucial in clinical practice, providing essential information for patient assessment and treatment planning. However, manual extraction of information from images is both time-consuming and prone to errors. The emergence of U-Net addresses this challenge by automating the segmentation of anatomical structures and pathological lesions in medical images, thereby significantly enhancing the accuracy of image interpretation and diagnosis. However, the performance of U-Net largely depends on its encoder–decoder structure, which requires researchers with knowledge of neural network architecture design and an in-depth understanding of medical images. In this paper, we propose an automatic U-Net Neural Architecture Search (NAS) algorithm using the differential evolutionary (DE) algorithm, named EU-Net, to segment critical information in medical images to assist physicians in diagnosis. Specifically, by presenting the variable-length strategy, the proposed EU-Net algorithm can sufficiently and automatically search for the neural network architecture without expertise. Moreover, the utilization of crossover, mutation, and selection strategies of DE takes account of the trade-off between exploration and exploitation in the search space. Finally, in the encoding and decoding phases of the proposed algorithm, different block-based and layer-based structures are introduced for architectural optimization. The proposed EU-Net algorithm is validated on two widely used medical datasets, i.e., CHAOS and BUSI, for image segmentation tasks. Extensive experimental results show that the proposed EU-Net algorithm outperforms the chosen peer competitors in both two datasets. In particular, compared to the original U-Net, our proposed method improves the metric mIou by at least 6%.

ANALISIS PERUBAHAN PENGGUNAAN LAHAN DI DAS BATANG TABIR KABUPATEN MERANGIN, PROVINSI JAMBI (Land Use Change Analysis in Batang Tabir Watershed Merangin Regency, Jambi Province)

A continuous land use change in a watershed will affect the hydrological characteristics of the watershed. The Batang Tabir watershed has experienced a decrease in its carrying capacity shown by an increase in the frequency of flooding and the area of flood inundation. This study analyzes the land use changes in the Batang Tabir watershed, Merangin Regency, Jambi Province. The data used are DEM, topographic maps, river network maps, and Landsat imagery. Analysis of land use change used the Maximum Likelihood Classification (MLC) and the accuracy of image interpretation was carried out through the Kappa accuracy test. The land use prediction using the ANN model. The results showed that the rate of land use change increased in secondary forests, built-up areas, agriculture, and open areas; primary forests, paddy fields, and shrubs continued to decline. It is predicted in the year 2030, the trend will be the same; the built-up areas, agriculture, and secondary forests will increase, while primary forests, paddy fields, shrubs, and open areas will decrease.

Lung ultrasound: A comparison of image interpretation accuracy between curvilinear and phased array transducers.

Both curvilinear and phased array transducers are commonly used to perform lung ultrasound (LUS). This study seeks to compare LUS interpretation accuracy of images obtained using a curvilinear transducer with those obtained using a phased array transducer. We invited 166 internists and trainees to interpret 16 LUS images/cineloops of eight patients in an online survey: eight curvilinear and eight phased array, performed on the same lung location. Images depicted normal lung, pneumothorax, pleural irregularities, consolidation/hepatisation, pleural effusions and B-lines. Primary outcome for each participant is the difference in image interpretation accuracy scores between the two transducers. A total of 112 (67%) participants completed the survey. The mean paired accuracy score difference between the curvilinear and phased array images was 3.0% (95% CI: 0.6 to 5.4%, P = 0.015). For novices, scores were higher on curvilinear images (mean difference: 5.4%, 95% CI: 0.9 to 9.9%, P = 0.020). For non-novices, there were no differences between the two transducers (mean difference: 1.4%, 95% CI: -1.1 to 3.9%, P = 0.263). For pleural-based findings, the mean of the paired differences between transducers was higher in the novice group (estimated mean difference-in-differences: 9.5%, 95% CI: 0.6 to 18.4%; P = 0.036). No difference in mean accuracies was noted between novices and non-novices for non-pleural-based pathologies (estimated mean difference-in-differences: 0.6%, 95% CI to 5.4-6.6%; P = 0.837). Lung ultrasound images obtained using the curvilinear transducer are associated with higher interpretation accuracy than the phased array transducer. This is especially true for novices interpreting pleural-based pathologies.

A Review on the Usage of Bone Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography/Computed Tomography in Detecting Skeletal Metastases in the Post-COVID-19 Era: Is it Time to Ditch Planar and Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography only Gamma Camera Systems?

Planar whole-body bone scanning (WBS) is widely used to evaluate skeletal lesions seen in cancer and noncancer cases. Frequently, degenerative, or other benign bony changes may give rise to indeterminate lesions that mimic bone metastases. In the post-COVID-19 era, there is an evolutionary phase that puts importance on global development and adaptability, which encompasses to include nuclear medicine practices worldwide. Single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) can be used to improve the characterization of these lesions and help to resolve the diagnostic conundrum while reducing the need for patients to undergo multiple different examinations at various imaging departments. The fusion of SPECT and CT allows morphological characterization of functional abnormality detected by focal tracer uptake on planar scintigraphy, which provides a one-stop center imaging in nuclear medicine departments. The objective of this study was to review the diagnostic accuracy of SPECT/CT in diagnosing bone metastases in a variety of oncology and nononcology cases and to determine the feasibility of performing bone SPECT/CT in all suspected cancer cases, including cases of bone infection instead of planar imaging alone. The utilization of hybrid SPECT/CT in indeterminate bone lesions detected on planar WBS can significantly increase the diagnostic confidence and accuracy of image interpretation. Recognition of patterns of disease identified using hybrid imaging can improve the management of patients with potentially lower costs in the long term. Currently, hybrid SPECT/CT machines are becoming a norm in nuclear medicine departments, thus potentially making single planar application machines obsolete in the near future. We hypothesize that in the interest of providing a meaningful interpretation of isotope bone scans, the default protocol should involve the option of acquiring SPECT/CT images rather than relying on whole-body scans only. Departments choosing to upgrade existing equipment or those choosing to invest in only one gamma camera should proactively opt for hybrid SPECT/CT systems.

Neoplastic Disorders of Visual Apparatus: Advances and Management

Purpose: Ocular neoplasms, both primary and metastatic, may present with visual disturbance or vision loss and often are asymptomatic. Clinical examination may demonstrate leukocoria, abnormal pupillary light reflex, or a mass lesion with or without retinal detachment or hemorrhage. Retinoblastoma in children and uveal melanoma and ocular metastases in adults are the most important ocular malignant neoplasms referred for imaging to aid with diagnosis and staging. Familiarity with their common imaging appearances, the common patterns of spread, and the diagnostic findings of greatest concern to the optometrist or ocular oncologist will enhance accuracy of imaging interpretation.&#x0D; Methodology: Clinical examination and imaging using B-scan ultrasound, A-scan ultrasound, fluorescein angiography, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging have complementary roles in ocular tumor staging and treatment assessment.&#x0D; Findings: Ocular neoplasm tumors are relatively rare but require unique diagnostic and treatment considerations given the functional importance of the eye and periocular structures and their unique metastatic behavior. In the following paper, a major malignant tumor of the ocular adnexa including the eyelid, conjunctiva and orbit will be reviewed. Frozen section control of the margins and, in selected cases, Mohs microsurgery have decreased the recurrence rate in malignant eyelid tumors. Intraoperative cryotherapy and postoperative topical mitomycin C have similarly contributed to better surgical outcomes in conjunctival malignant tumors including squamous cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma. Immunotherapy with CD20 antibodies is a developing treatment in Ocular neoplasm lymphomas.&#x0D; Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Optometrists by the new advances in clinical optometry training/research, and specialists in occuloplasty/ocularistry form part of the team for a multidisciplinary approach in the clinical management of neoplastic disorders of visual apparatus.

CONVERSION OF PRODUCTIVE AGRICULTURAL LAND WITH ANALYSIS OF GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN DIBAL VILLAGE, 2010-2020

&lt;p&gt;Land conversion will continue to occur over time. Population growth and regional development can cause land conversion. It is undeniable that land conversion will change vacant land, especially productive agricultural land, into built-up land. The purpose of this study is to determine the extent of changes in productive agricultural land and the conversion of productive agricultural land. Within 10 years Dibal Village has experienced many changes with the construction of toll roads and railroads. The variables for this study are land cover, built-up land and undeveloped land parameters. This study uses image interpretation analysis with Arcgis 10.3 and by doing a ground check to ensure the correctness of the interpretation. To test the accuracy of image interpretation is done with the overall accuracy confusion matrix with the kappa accuracy test results of 98.3% so that image interpretation can be trusted. This research is a qualitative research method with a descriptive approach. The results show that in a period of 10 years in Dibal Village there has been a decrease in productive agricultural land of around 9.69 hectares / 5.70%, while built-up land has increased by 9.69 hectares / 5.70%. The decrease in productive agricultural land consists of a decrease in rice fields and gardens. Productive agricultural land that has changed into built-up land includes rice fields and gardens that have turned into toll roads, railroads and community settlements.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;

The influence of oil exploitation on the degradation of vegetation: A case study in the Yellow River Delta Nature Reserve, China

Crude oil is harmful to plants when it is leaked into the soil. The influence of oil exploitation on the degradation of vegetation is still unclear. Oil wells in the Yellow River Delta Natural Reserve (YRDNR) is an ideal region for the research of oil exploitation on vegetation given that this region is less influenced by other human activities. Field investigation and high-resolution remote sensing images were employed to explore the effect of oil exploitation on vegetation. Eighteen sample quadrats and three vegetation sampling strips were investigated near the oil wells. The total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) concentrations of the soil affected soil water content negatively. The water content of the sampled soil exhibited a significant positive effect on the species number, Shannon–Wiener index, and aboveground biomass (AGB) of the vegetation. Furthermore, crude oil contamination lowered plant height and quantity, and plant tolerance to crude oil pollutants differed across various species. Oil production has an impact range of 40 m on the surrounding vegetation. Two indices (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and New Normalized Difference Water Indices 1 (NNDWI1) were employed in a high-resolution remote sensing image interpretation experiment to identify ground objects, the overall accuracy improved 11% compared with the NDVI utilization approach. Moreover, there existed an excellent linear regression relationship between NDVI and field investigated AGB (R 2 = 0 . 813 ). The degradation rate of AGB caused by oil exploitation, directly and indirectly, was about 16.49% in the YRDNR. • TPH indirectly affect species diversity and biomass of vegetation through soil water content. • The combined use of NDVI and NNDWI1 improved 11% of the image interpretation accuracy. • There existed an excellent linear regression relationship between NDVI and AGB. • The impact range of oil production on the surrounding vegetation is about 40 m. • The degradation rate of AGB caused by oil exploitation is about 16.49% in the YRDNR.

Inclusion of a Visual Aid Improves Surgeon and Trainee Accuracy when Evaluating Images for Ankle Syndesmosis Repair

Category:Trauma; Ankle;OtherIntroduction/Purpose:Malreduction in ankle syndesmosis repair is associated with post-operative pain, instability, and revision. Although multiple surgical techniques are designed to minimize malreduction, little is understood regarding the multi-factorial sources of error these techniques aim to address. For example, image interpretation errors may be particularly problematic, as previous work indicates identifying subtle fibular displacements from imaging is challenging for experienced orthopaedic trauma surgeons. In this context, this study evaluates whether surgical experience and/or inclusion of a visual aid improves surgeon accuracy during an image interpretation task. The task originates from the center-center technique, which is designed to minimize syndesmosis malreduction by drilling through the aligned centers of the tibia and fibula on an internally-rotated, lateral ankle x-ray.Methods:Twenty-eight individuals participated in this IRB-approved study (10 orthopaedic surgery attendings, 8 orthopaedic surgery residents, 10 medical students). Each evaluated 90 lateral ankle images arranged in two equal sets. In each set, the fibula was displaced from perfectly centered (-40% posterior to +40% anterior in 10% increments; each increment repeated 5 times). The two sets were identical, except one was augmented with a visual aid (or crosshair) marking the center of the tibia. Image and set order were randomized to control for learning effects. For each image, participants classified the fibula as 'centered' or 'non- centered' while wearing eye-tracking glasses. The glasses recorded two physiological measures of cognitive burden: blinks per image and image interpretation time. Statistical analyses tested the hypotheses that surgical experience and addition of a visual aid improved interpretation accuracy and decreased cognitive burden. Statistical significance (p <= 0.05) was evaluated using ANOVA followed by paired t-tests.Results:All participants accurately identified images with large fibular displacements (>20%) and perfectly centered (0%) images; however, interpretation accuracy at small displacements (10%) approximated random chance (Fig. 1A). Inclusion of a visual aid significantly improved image interpretation accuracy for both the full image set (p = 0.015, Fig. 1B) and images with small displacements (p = 0.025, Fig. 1A 10% and 20%). Although surgical experience was not a significant predictor of interpretation accuracy, surgical experience did significantly influence physiological measures of cognitive burden. Interestingly, inclusion of a visual aid slightly increased cognitive burden as measured by blinks per image for trainees, but significantly decreased this metric for attendings (p = 0.014, Fig. 1C). Compared to attendings, time per image was significantly increased for residents (p = 0.007), but not medical students (Fig. 1D).Conclusion:This study demonstrates that a visual aid can improve image interpretation accuracy for both experienced surgeons and trainees. Interestingly, the inclusion of the visual aid decreased the physiologically measured cognitive burden of attendings, but not trainees. This suggests that additional visual information displayed on an x-ray image may be processed and used differently by experienced versus inexperienced surgeons. Thus, this study provides foundational evidence that augmenting images can improve surgical accuracy and motivates future work to characterize how image augmentation influences clinical and educational outcomes.

An Adaptive Threshold Selected Method from Remote Sensing Image based on Water Index

Water is one of the most common and important objects on the earth, and its extraction is of great significance to many related researches in remote sensing domain. Water index method is most commonly used, and the accuracy of image interpretation is an unavoidable problem. However, traditional interpretation methods are subjective, and the efficiency of interpretation is relatively low. An adaptive threshold selected method based on modified normalized difference water index (MNDWI) is proposed here to extract water completely and accurately from remote sensing image. First, the study compares the effect of three commonly used water index methods (NDWI, MNDWI and MBWI) to extract water in Baiyangdian watershed, the result shows that MNDWI is better in separating water from background; then, a probability index method integrated water Z-score (IWZ) is used to segment MNDWI results. It shows that the optimized result with IWZ is more accurate than the traditional result with 0 as the dividing point, the former is 5% higher accuracy than the latter.

The effect of display size on ultrasound interpretation

Ultrasound (US) is an essential component of emergency department patient care. US machines have become smaller and more affordable. Handheld ultrasound (HUS) machines are even more portable and easy to use at the patient's bedside. However, miniaturization may come with consequences. The ability to accurately interpret ultrasound on a smaller screen is unknown. This pilot study aims to assess how screen size affects the ability of emergency medicine clinicians to accurately interpret US videos. This pilot study enrolled a prospective convenience sample of emergency medicine physicians. Participants completed a survey and were randomized to interpret US videos starting with either a phone-sized screen or a laptop-sized screen, switching to the other device at the halfway point. 50 unique US videos depicting right upper quadrant (RUQ) views of the Focused Assessment with Sonography in Trauma (FAST) examination were chosen for inclusion in the study. There were 25 US videos per device. All of the images were previously obtained on a cart-based machine (Mindray M9) and preselected by the study authors. Participants answered "Yes" or "No" in response to whether they identified free fluid. The time that each participant took to interpret each video was also recorded. Following the assessment, participants completed a post-interpretation survey. The goal of the pilot was to determine the accuracy of image interpretation on a small screen as compared to a laptop-sized screen. Statistical analyses were performed using MATLAB (The MathWorks, Inc., Natick, MA). Nonparametric statistical tests were utilized to compare subgroups, with a Wilcoxon signed rank test used for paired data and a Wilcoxon rank sum test for unpaired data. 52 emergency medicine physicians were enrolled in the study. The median accuracy of US interpretation for phone versus laptop image screen was 88.0% and 87.6% (p=0.67). The mean time to interpret with phone versus laptop screen was 293 and 290s (p=0.66). The study found no statistically significant difference in the accuracy of US interpretation nor time spent interpreting when the pre-selected RUQ videos generated on a cart-based ultrasound machine were reviewed on a phone-sized versus a laptop-sized screen. This pilot study suggests that the accuracy of US interpretation may not be dependent upon the size of the screen utilized.

Accuracy of radiographers in Fiji in interpreting adult chest X-ray images

IntroductionThe idea of radiographer image interpretation has not been fully explored in Fiji despite the great shortage of radiologists in the country. This is a feasibility study of radiographer image interpretation aimed at assessing the accuracy of radiographers in interpreting adult chest X-ray images at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital (CWMH) in Fiji. MethodsForty PA chest X-ray images were interpreted in terms of correctly commenting on the presence/ absence of pathology, the name of the pathology, and the location of the pathology on the data sheets by the CWMH diagnostic radiographers (n = 14). The radiographers were grouped according to their years of work experience (≤ 5 vs > 5) and the Mann Whitney U test on a two-tailed p-value of 0.05 was used to compare this grouping. ResultsThe data analysis was conducted using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) v.25 and Microsoft Excel. The diagnostic performance of all radiographers in terms of triaging normal and abnormal in the images shows sensitivity ranging from 71.4 to 100%, with specificity ranging from 47.4 to 100%. The mean sensitivity, specificity, and the overall accuracy of radiographers in triaging normal and abnormal on the images were 89.5%, 72.9%, and 81.6%, respectively. The mean accuracy in naming the pathology was 33.6% and the location sensitivity was 45.7%. There was no statistically significant difference in results between the radiographers’ years of experience. ConclusionWithout any formal qualification, training, and practice, the current results suggest that the cohort of radiographers can perform normal/abnormal triage of CXRs within a test setting. With a significant reduction in the radiographers’ accuracy in terms of naming and locating the abnormality, the study results do not support image interpretation by the radiographers at this stage. Implications for practiceThis feasibility study provides baseline information about the accuracy of image interpretation by diagnostic radiographers at CWMH and provides a platform for further research in image interpretation in Fiji.

A Curriculum Model for Multidisciplinary Training of Midwife Sonographers in a Low Resource Setting.

In many low-resource settings, less than 5% of pregnant women can access ultrasound during pregnancy. Thus, gestational age is often difficult to determine, multiple pregnancies are diagnosed late and foetal and pregnancy-related anomalies can go undetected. A pilot solution was designed beyond the traditional approach of increasing numbers of qualified radiologists, gynaecologists and sonographers. An innovative Human Resource for Health (HRH) task sharing, and maternal child health (MCH) workforce training and capacity building initiative was designed, involving development and testing of a curriculum to train midwife sonographers via a teleradiology innovation platform and a partnership between specialist radiologists, sonographers and midwives. The setting was a tertiary-level private university hospital in Nairobi with implementation in three outreach locations. Direct oversight, support and supervision of specialist radiologists and ultrasonographers effectively addressed issues of quality and safety across the 3-week training period and project implementation. Concepts from sociocultural learning theory informed an initial interactive e-learning module for each midwife at their respective site. Midwives were introduced to ultrasound equipment with a series of didactic and interactive lectures delivered by an expert sonographer at the tertiary hospital teaching site. Lectures were supported by hands-on practical experience, role modelling and mentoring over a four-week period. Assessments included both written examination and practical assessment with an exit examination requiring demonstration of competency in both written and practical format. Final confirmation of scanning accuracy was confirmed with post-delivery verification of results. The pilot was highly successful with an image interpretation accuracy of 99.63% for the midwives. Lessons from this initiative provides guidance in the curriculum development process along with a curriculum outline; pedagogical framework; teaching methods; assessment processes; credentialing; resourcing; and other considerations in scaling up the program. Importantly, the paper details processes for maintaining a high level of quality control and patient safety.

Abdominal fellowship-trained versus generalist radiologist accuracy when interpreting MR and CT for the diagnosis of appendicitis.

To compare the diagnostic accuracy of generalist radiologists working in a community setting against abdominal radiologists working in an academic setting for the interpretation of MR when diagnosing acute appendicitis among emergency department patients. This observational study examined MR image interpretation (non-contrast MR with diffusion-weighted imaging and intravenous contrast-enhanced MR) from a prospectively enrolled cohort at an academic hospital over 18 months. Eligible patients had an abdominopelvic CT ordered to evaluate for appendicitis and were > 11 years old. The reference standard was a combination of surgery and pathology results, phone follow-up, and chart review. Six radiologists blinded to clinical information, three each from community and academic practices, independently interpreted MR and CT images in random order. We calculated test characteristics for both individual and group (consensus) diagnostic accuracy then performed Chi-square tests to identify any differences between the subgroups. Analysis included 198 patients (114 women) with a mean age of 31.6 years and an appendicitis prevalence of 32.3%. For generalist radiologists, the sensitivity and specificity (95% confidence interval) were 93.8% (84.6-98.0%) and 88.8% (82.2-93.2%) for MR and 96.9% (88.7-99.8%) and 91.8% (85.8-95.5%) for CT. For fellowship-trained radiologists, the sensitivity and specificity were 96.9% (88.2-99.5%) and 89.6% (82.8-94%) for MR and 98.4% (90.5-99.9%) and 93.3% (87.3-96.7%) for CT. No statistically significant differences were detected between radiologist groups (p = 1.0, p = 0.53, respectively) or when comparing MR to CT (p = 0.21, p = 0.17, respectively). MR is a reliable, radiation-free imaging alternative to CT for the evaluation of appendicitis in community-based generalist radiology practices. • There was no significant difference in MR image interpretation accuracy between generalist and abdominal fellowship-trained radiologists when evaluating sensitivity (p = 1.0) and specificity (p = 0.53). • There was no significant difference in accuracy comparing MR to CT imaging for diagnosing appendicitis for either sensitivity (p = 0.21) or specificity (p = 0.17). • With experience, generalist radiologists enhanced their MR interpretation accuracy as demonstrated by improved interpretation sensitivity (OR 2.89 CI 1.44-5.77, p = 0.003) and decreased mean interpretation time (5 to 3.89 min).

Performance of imaging interpretation, intra- and inter-reader agreement for diagnosis of pelvic endometriosis: comparison between an abbreviated and full MRI protocol.

To compare the performance of imaging interpretation, intra- and inter-reader agreement between an abbreviated (aMRI) and full (fMRI) MRI protocol for diagnosis of pelvic endometriosis. Seventy consecutive fMRI exams performed under suspicion of pelvic endometriosis were selected. Four radiologists (Rd) (1-10 years experience) independently evaluated presence/absence of endometriosis at 9 anatomic sites (AS). The readers evaluated aMRI (coronal T2 TSE volumetric images and axial T1 GRE fat-sat without contrast, extracted from fMRI) and fMRI protocols randomly, with at least 4weeks interval between readings. The degree of confidence for diagnosis at each AS was evaluated with a 1-3 Likert Scale (1: low; 3: high). Intra- and inter-reader agreement between protocols were evaluated by kappa statistics and took reading experience into account. The gold standard for assessing the performance of imaging interpretation (sensitivity, specificity and accuracy) used a consensus reading of two other Rd (> 15 years experience). There was no significant difference in the accuracy of imaging interpretation between the abbreviated (0.83-0.86) and full (0.83-0.87) protocols (p = 0.15). Intra-reader agreement between protocols ranged from substantial to almost perfect (0.74-0.96). A substantial inter-reader agreement was found for both protocols for readers with similar levels of experience (0.67-0.69) and in the global analysis (0.66 for both protocols). No difference was found in terms of degree of confidence between protocols, for all readers. An abbreviated MRI protocol for pelvic endometriosis provided an accuracy of interpretation comparable to that ofa complete protocol, with similar degrees of confidence and reproducibility, regardless the level of experience.

Relationship the physical quality of residential environment with Acute Respiratory Infections (ARI) in toddlers at West Semarang sub-district in 2019 using high resolution remote sensing image

ARI is an acute infectious disease that attacks one or more parts of the airways from the nose to the alveoli. Toddlers who tend to be static, reflecting the physical quality of the environment in which they live. This study aims to: (1) map the physical quality of the residential environment from high-resolution remote sensing images; and (2) knowing relationship between the physical quality of residential environment and ARI cases in toddlers. The method used to map the physical quality of residential environment is the Spatial Multi Criteria Evaluation (SMCE) and Pearson Correlation method used to determine the relation between the physical quality of residential environment and ARI cases. The results of the image interpretation accuracy test are 90.96%, which indicates that remote sensing images can be used to extract data on the physical quality of residential environments that have an effect on ARI disease. Pearson correlation test result is 0.454 which indicates a moderate relationship. Analysis of the distribution pattern of ARI in toddlers with Nearest Neighbor Analysis resulted in a ratio value of 0.48; the z-score value is -22.6 and the p-value is 0.0, which means that the pattern of ARI in toddlers in West Semarang is clustered.