Journal
ULTRASOUND IN OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY
Volume 31, Issue 4, Pages 439-444Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1002/uog.5301
Keywords
antral follicle count; interobserver reliability; ovarian reserve; three-dimensional ultrasound; transvaginal ultrasound; work flow
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Objectives To compare the interobserver reliability of antral follicle counts made using real-time two? dimensional (2D) ultrasound with offline counts made from stored three-dimensional (3D) data and to assess the time required for such counts. Methods Two observers conducted transvaginal ultrasound examinations in 45 sub fertile women in the early follicular phase of the menstrual cycle. Antral follicles were counted using real-time 2D ultrasound and the time taken was recorded. A 3D volume was then acquired from each ovary and stored for subsequent offline analysis using the multiplanar view. The time taken for each step was recorded and the total time was calculated. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and limits of agreement were used to assess reliability. Results There was no difference in the mean antral follicle counts using real-time 2D (16.51 +/- 11.51) and 3D (16.33 +/- 12.13) ultrasound. According to ICCs, there was a significantly higher interobserver reliability for counts made using 3D (mean, 0.992; 95% CI, 0.986-0.996) compared with real-time 2D (mean, 0.961; 95% Cl, 0.940-0.977) (P < 0.01) ultrasound. 3D ultrasound was also associated with narrower limits of agreement (-2.7 to +3.1) than was 2D ultrasound (-6.9 to +6.4). Whilst the total time taken was significantly longer for the 3D technique (239.3 +/- 71.4 s vs. 103.1 +/- 28.6 s, P < 0.001), the time required for the actual ultrasound examination was significantly less (46.4 +/- 7.4 s vs. 103.1 +/- 28.6 s, P < 0.001). Conclusions 3D ultrasound significantly improves the interobserver reliability of antral follicle counts. While this is at the expense of time overall, the duration of the actual ultrasound examination and patient exposure is significantly reduced using 3D compared with real-time 2D ultrasound. Copyright (c) 2008 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available