Morphometric measurement of abdominal organs. Comparison of ultrasound and spiral CT

Purpose: To determine interobserver variability in the morphometric measurement of abdominal organs with US and spiral CT, and to compare the results obtained with these two modalities. Material and Methods: US and spiral CT examinations of the abdomen were performed in 25 patients. In each patient, 13 defined distances were measured in the liver, spleen and both kidneys with US and spiral CT by two pairs of radiologists in a blinded manner. The interobserver variations of these mesurements were evaluated for the US and CT examinations, and the data of both modalities were compared with one another. Results: The measurement of distances in the abdomen with US and spiral CT is subject to considerable interobserver variability of both modalities. The relative inter-observer variations showed marked differences, according to which distance was measured. The average interobserver variations were higher in US than in CT. A direct comparison of US and spiral CT revealed that distances obtained with CT frequently exceeded those obtained with US. Conclusion: Morphometric measurements of abdominal organs with US and with spiral CT showed considerable differences. The follow-up examinations should therefore be performed with the same imaging modality as used in the original examination. (orig.)