Intramodality and intermodality agreement in radiography and computed tomography of equine distal limb fractures.
Abstract: Computed tomography (CT) is increasingly accessible in equine referral hospitals. Objective: To document the level of agreement within and between radiography and CT in characterising equine distal limb fractures. Methods: Retrospective descriptive study. Methods: Images from horses that underwent radiographic and CT evaluation for suspected distal limb fractures were reviewed, including 27 horses and 3 negative controls. Using Cohen's kappa and weighted kappa analysis, the level of agreement among 4 observers for a predefined set of diagnostic characteristics for radiography and CT separately and for the level of agreement between the 2 imaging modalities were documented. Conclusions: Both CT and radiography had very good intramodality agreement in identifying fractures, but intermodality agreement was lower. There was good intermodality and intramodality agreement for anatomical localisation and the identification of fracture displacement. Agreement for articular involvement, fracture comminution and fracture fragment number was towards the lower limit of good agreement. There was poor to fair intermodality agreement regarding fracture orientation, fracture width and coalescing cracks; intramodality agreement was higher for CT than for radiography for these features. Conclusions: Further studies, including comparisons with surgical and/or post mortem findings, are required to determine the sensitivity and specificity of CT and radiography in the diagnosis and characterisation of equine distal limb fractures.
© 2013 EVJ Ltd.
Publication Date: 2013-06-28 PubMed ID: 23662918DOI: 10.1111/evj.12082Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Anatomy
- Bones
- Clinical Study
- Clinical Symptoms
- Comparative Study
- Computed Tomography
- Diagnosis
- Diagnostic Imaging
- Diagnostic Technique
- Disease Diagnosis
- Equine Diseases
- Equine Health
- Fractures
- Horses
- Imaging Techniques
- Radiology
- Retrospective Study
- Veterinary Care
- Veterinary Medicine
- Veterinary Procedure
- Veterinary Research
Summary
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The research revolves around examining the consistency of radiography and computed tomography (CT) in identifying and characterising fractures in the lower legs of horses. It analysed the agreement within each imaging modality as well as the concurrence between the two.
Research Method
- A retrospective study was conducted wherein images from horses that underwent radiography and CT for hypothetically fractured lower limbs were analysed.
- The subject group comprised 27 horses along with 3 negative controls (presumably healthy).
- Four independent observers carried out the analysis using a predefined set of diagnostic features for both radiographic and CT images.
- The consistency among the evaluators and between the two imaging modalities was recorded using Cohen’s kappa and weighted kappa statistical tests. These tests measure the degree of consistency or agreement between evaluators or methods.
Research Findings
- CT and radiography exhibited very good agreement within their respective modalities (intramodality agreement) in detecting fractures.
- However, lesser agreement was visible between both modalities (intermodality agreement) in recognising fractures.
- Identifying the precise anatomical location of the fracture and detecting any fracture displacement showed good agreement both within and between the modalities.
- Instances of joint involvement, fragmented fractures, and the number of fracture pieces yielded an agreement that was relatively lower but still within the limits of good.
- The concurrence for estimating fracture orientation, fracture breadth, and associated cracking was poor to moderate between the two methods but higher inside CT compared to radiography.
Conclusions
- To authenticate the efficiency and specificity of CT and radiography in diagnosing and describing horse lower-leg fractures, further studies are suggested.
- This could entail comparisons with findings from surgical procedures or post-mortem investigations.
Cite This Article
APA
Crijns CP, Martens A, Bergman HJ, van der Veen H, Duchateau L, van Bree HJ, Gielen IM.
(2013).
Intramodality and intermodality agreement in radiography and computed tomography of equine distal limb fractures.
Equine Vet J, 46(1), 92-96.
https://doi.org/10.1111/evj.12082 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Medical Imaging and Small Animal Orthopaedics, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Extremities / diagnostic imaging
- Extremities / injuries
- Fractures, Bone / diagnostic imaging
- Fractures, Bone / pathology
- Horse Diseases / diagnostic imaging
- Horses / injuries
- Tomography, X-Ray Computed / veterinary
Citations
This article has been cited 2 times.- Steel C, Ahern B, Zedler S, Vallance S, Galuppo L, Richardson J, Whitton C, Young A. Comparison of Radiography and Computed Tomography for Evaluation of Third Carpal Bone Fractures in Horses.. Animals (Basel) 2023 Apr 25;13(9).
- Taylor CJ, Peter VG, Coleridge MOD, Bathe AP. Immediate pre-operative computed tomography for surgical planning of equine fracture repair: A retrospective review of 55 cases.. PLoS One 2022;17(12):e0278748.
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