MORPHOMETRIC MEASUREMENT OF ABDOMINAL ORGANS - COMPARISON OF ULTRASOUND AND SPIRAL CT

Purpose: To determine interobserver variability in the morphometric me asurement of abdominal organs with US and spiral CT, and to compare th e results obtained with these two modalities. Material and Methods: US and spiral CT examinations of the abdomen were performed in 25 patien ts. In each patient, 13 defined distances were measured in the liver, spleen and both kidneys with US and spiral CT by two pairs of radiolog ists in a blinded manner. The interobserver variations of these measur ements were evaluated for the US and CT examinations, and the data of both modalities were compared with one another. Results: The measureme nt of distances in the abdomen with US and spiral CT is subject to con siderable interobserver variability in both modalities. The relative i nterobserver variations showed marked differences, according to which distance was measured. The average interobserver variations were highe r in US than in CT. A direct comparison of US and spiral CT revealed t hat 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 exa minations should therefore be performed with the same imaging modality as used in the original examination.