Skip to main content
Journal cover image

Using the American College of Radiology Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System at the Point of Care: Sonographer Performance and Interobserver Variability.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Wildman-Tobriner, B; Ahmed, S; Erkanli, A; Mazurowski, MA; Hoang, JK
Published in: Ultrasound Med Biol
August 2020

The purpose of this study was to assess inter-observer variability and performance when sonographers assign features to thyroid nodules on ultrasound using the American College of Radiology (ACR) Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (TI-RADS). Fifteen sonographers retrospectively evaluated 100 thyroid nodules and assigned features to each nodule according to ACR TI-RADS lexicon. Ratings were compared with one another and to a gold standard using Fleiss' and Cohen's kappa statistics, respectively. Sonographers were also asked subjective questions regarding their comfort level assessing each feature, and opinions were compared with performance using a mixed effects model. Sonographers demonstrated only slight agreement for margin (κ = 0.18, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.16-0.20) and large comet tail artifact (κ = 0.08, 95% CI: 0.06-0.10) but better performance for macrocalcification (κ = 0.41, 95% CI: 0.39-0.43) and no echogenic foci (κ = 0.52, 95% CI: 0.50-0.54). Sonographer comfort level with different feature assignments did not statistically correlate with performance for a given feature. In conclusion, sonographers using ACR TI-RADS to assign thyroid nodule features on ultrasound demonstrate a range of agreement across features, with margin and large comet tail artifact showing the most variability. These results highlight potential areas of focus for sonographer education efforts as ACR TI-RADS continues to be implemented in radiology departments.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Ultrasound Med Biol

DOI

EISSN

1879-291X

Publication Date

August 2020

Volume

46

Issue

8

Start / End Page

1928 / 1933

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Young Adult
  • Ultrasonography
  • Thyroid Nodule
  • Thyroid Neoplasms
  • Thyroid Gland
  • Societies, Medical
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Observer Variation
  • Middle Aged
  • Humans
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Wildman-Tobriner, B., Ahmed, S., Erkanli, A., Mazurowski, M. A., & Hoang, J. K. (2020). Using the American College of Radiology Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System at the Point of Care: Sonographer Performance and Interobserver Variability. Ultrasound Med Biol, 46(8), 1928–1933. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2020.04.019
Wildman-Tobriner, Benjamin, Salmaan Ahmed, Al Erkanli, Maciej A. Mazurowski, and Jenny K. Hoang. “Using the American College of Radiology Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System at the Point of Care: Sonographer Performance and Interobserver Variability.Ultrasound Med Biol 46, no. 8 (August 2020): 1928–33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2020.04.019.
Wildman-Tobriner B, Ahmed S, Erkanli A, Mazurowski MA, Hoang JK. Using the American College of Radiology Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System at the Point of Care: Sonographer Performance and Interobserver Variability. Ultrasound Med Biol. 2020 Aug;46(8):1928–33.
Wildman-Tobriner, Benjamin, et al. “Using the American College of Radiology Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System at the Point of Care: Sonographer Performance and Interobserver Variability.Ultrasound Med Biol, vol. 46, no. 8, Aug. 2020, pp. 1928–33. Pubmed, doi:10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2020.04.019.
Wildman-Tobriner B, Ahmed S, Erkanli A, Mazurowski MA, Hoang JK. Using the American College of Radiology Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System at the Point of Care: Sonographer Performance and Interobserver Variability. Ultrasound Med Biol. 2020 Aug;46(8):1928–1933.
Journal cover image

Published In

Ultrasound Med Biol

DOI

EISSN

1879-291X

Publication Date

August 2020

Volume

46

Issue

8

Start / End Page

1928 / 1933

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Young Adult
  • Ultrasonography
  • Thyroid Nodule
  • Thyroid Neoplasms
  • Thyroid Gland
  • Societies, Medical
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Observer Variation
  • Middle Aged
  • Humans