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Results for “Reproducibility”

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PubMed1989

Influence of infarct age on reproducibility of ventricular tachycardia induction in a canine model.

The inducibility and reproducibility of ventricular tachycardia were evaluated in 97 dogs after myocardial infarction produced by single stage coronary artery ligation. Arrhythmia induction was performed with use of an endocardial electrode catheter positioned at the right ventricular apex before each study. An aggressive protocol of programmed stimulation was used, employing up to seven extrastimuli and three attempts at arrhythmia induction in each study. Electrophysiologic study was performed in individual dogs at the following times after infarction: 1) 7.7 +/- 0.3 and 15 +/- 0.2 days (34 consecutive dogs); 2) 14 +/- 0.6 and 26 +/- 1.7 days (24 selected dogs); 19 +/- 2 and 43 +/- 3 days (12 selected dogs); 4) 36 +/- 2 and 60 +/- 6 days (8 selected dogs); and 5) 59 +/- 12 and 130 +/- 10 days (3 selected dogs). Inducibility of ventricular tachycardia decreased significantly from 74% 1 week after infarction to 41% 2 weeks after infarction. Thus, early reproducibility was low (48%). Reproducibility increased thereafter, with 88% of the dogs having reproducible ventricular tachycardia between 2 and 4 weeks (p less than 0.025) and 100% having reproducibly inducible ventricular tachycardia between 4 weeks and 4 months after infarction. Dogs with no inducible arrhythmia early after infarction did not develop inducible ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation at later studies. Twelve dogs developed spontaneous ventricular tachycardia or sudden arrhythmic death late after infarction. Overall, 22% of dogs with inducible ventricular tachycardia with a cycle length greater than 140 ms developed spontaneous ventricular tachycardia or sudden death. Arrhythmia induction decreases significantly during the 1st 2 weeks after myocardial infarction, but long-term reproducibility of ventricular tachycardia induced greater than or equal to 2 weeks after infarction is very high. This canine model of long-term, reliably inducible ventricular tachycardia is suitable for investigation of antiarrhythmic drugs, surgery and other interventions.

Animals↗

PubMed1986

Reproducibility of hyperventilation of cold dry air in children with cystic fibrosis.

Wheezing is a significant problem in some patients with cystic fibrosis. Currently available tests are not reliable at determining whether this wheezing is due to co-existent asthma or to the underlying pulmonary disease. The reproducibility of hyperventilation of cold dry air (HVCDA) was studied over eight days in 11 children with cystic fibrosis. A group with mild lung disease were selected to minimize the variability due to underlying pulmonary disease. Fifty-six per cent of subjects had consistent responses to HVCDA. A test of reproducibility was performed on the respiratory heat exchange, the percentage fall in FEV1 after HVCDA and the ratio of these two (R). Respiratory heat exchange was found to be highly reproducible with a reproducibility co-efficient of 0.97. The percentage fall in FEV1 after HVCDA and R were not reproducible over the eight-day period. Hyperventilation of cold dry air did not give reproducible results in children with cystic fibrosis, suggesting that a single test may not be suitable for judging bronchial liability.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2001

Improving the reproducibility of QT dispersion measures.

BACKGROUND: The low reproducibility of the QT dispersion (QTD) method is a major reason why it is not used in clinics. The purpose of this study was to develop QT dispersion parameters with better reproducibility and identification of patients with a high risk of ventricular arrhythmia or death. METHODS AND RESULTS: Three institutions using different methods for measuring QT intervals provided QT databases, which included more than 3500 twelve-lead surface ECGs. The data represented low and high risk subjects from the following groups: the normal population EpiSet (survivors vs dead from cardiovascular causes), acute myocardial infarction patients AmiSet (survivors vs dead) and remote myocardial infarction patients ArrSet (with vs without a history of ventricular arrhythmia). The EpiSet, AmiSet, and the ArrSet contributed with N = 122, 0, and 110 ECGs for reproducibility analysis, and 3244, 446, and 100 ECGs for the analysis of prognostic accuracy. The prognostic accuracy was measured as the area under the Receiver Operator Curve. The QT intervals were divided into six QT pairs; the longest pair consisted of the longest and the shortest QT intervals etc. The QT dispersion trend (QTDT) was defined as the slope of the linear regression of the N longest QT pairs after estimation of missing QT intervals by interpolation of measured QT intervals. The QTMAD and the QTSTD methods were defined as twice the mean absolute deviation and the standard deviation of the N longest QT pairs. The reproducibility was improved by 27% and 19% in the EpiSet and the ArrSet relative to the reproducibility of QTD. The accuracy improved for the EpiSet and the ArrSet and was maintained for the AmiSet. CONCLUSIONS: By using the three longest and the three shortest QT intervals in QTDT, QTMAD, or QTSTD, the reproducibility improved significantly while maintaining or improving the prognostic accuracy compared to QTD.

Aged↗

PubMed2002

Permeation and skin absorption: reproducibility of various industrial reconstructed human skin models.

Human reconstructed skin models could be very useful tools to quantify percutaneous permeation and absorption. Before using such models, the reproducibility in the same batch and/or various batches, i.e. the relevance of the results obtained, must be verified. The reproducibility of 3 industrial models--EpiDerm, Episkin and SkinEthic--was tested regarding the permeation and skin absorption of 3 topically applied compounds (with a large range of physicochemical properties): lauric acid, caffeine and mannitol. For all the models, the intrabatch reproducibility was greater than the interbatch reproducibility. According to the batches tested, the larger difference in terms of reproducibility between the 3 models was observed in the case of mannitol, a very poor permeant. In this case, the best reproducibility was observed with EpiDerm and Episkin. Moreover, the rank order of the 3 compounds applied, in terms of permeation and skin absorption, was the same as that expected from ex vivo human skin. Such results revealed human skin models as a promising means to test in vitro permeation and percutaneous absorption of topical products.

Drug Evaluation, Preclinical↗

PubMed1981

Comparative reproducibility and validity of systems for assessing cardiovascular functional class: advantages of a new specific activity scale.

Reproducibility and validity are prerequisites for a useful clinical scale. We therefore prospectively tested the reproducibility and validity of the New York Heart Association criteria and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society criteria for the assessment of cardiac functional class and compared these criteria with a new Specific Activity Scale based on the metabolic costs of specific activities. The New York Heart Association estimates made by two physicians had a reproducibility of only 56%, and only 51% of the estimates agreed with treadmill exercise performance. Functional estimates based on the Canadian Cardiovascular Society criteria were significantly more reproducible (73%), but not significantly more valid. The Specific Activity Scale was as reproducible as the Canadian Cardiovascular Society criteria, and its 68% validity was significantly higher than the validities of the other systems. The easily administered Specific Activity Scale was equally reproducible and valid when used by a nonphysician. It was especially better than the other systems for the evaluation of true class II patients and was significantly less likely to underestimate treadmill performance. Although no set of questions can perfectly predict exercise tolerance, the Specific Activity Scale deserves wider prospective testing.

Canada↗

PubMed2003

Validation and reproducibility of computerised cell-viability analysis of tissue slices.

BACKGROUND: The identification of live cells using membrane integrity dyes has become a frequently used technique, especially with articular cartilage and chondrocytes in situ where tissue slices are used to assess cell recovery as a function of location. The development of a reproducible computerised method of cell evaluation would eliminate many variables associated with manual counting and significantly reduce the amount of time required to evaluate experimental results. METHODS: To validate a custom computerised counting program, intra-person and inter-person cell counts of nine human evaluators (three groups - unskilled, novice, and experienced) were compared with repeated pixel counts of the custom program on 15 digitised images (in triplicate) of chondrocytes in situ stained with fluorescent dyes. RESULTS: Results indicated increased reproducibility with increased experience within evaluators [Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) range = 0.67 (unskilled) to 0.99 (experienced)] and between evaluators [ICC = 0.47 (unskilled), 0.85 (novice), 0.93 (experienced)]. The computer program had perfect reproducibility (ICC = 1.0). There was a significant relationship between the average of the experienced evaluators results and the custom program results (ICC = 0.77). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that increased experience in cell counting resulted in increased reproducibility both within and between human evaluators but confirmed that the computer program was the most reproducible. There was a good correlation between the intact cell recovery determined by the computer program and the experienced human evaluators. The results of this study showed that the computer counting program was a reproducible tool to evaluate intact cell recovery after use of membrane integrity dyes on chondrocytes in situ. This and the significant decrease in the time used to count the cells by the computer program advocate its use in future studies because it has significant advantages.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Reproducibility of the clinical criteria (ABCDE rule) and dermatoscopic features (7FFM) for the diagnosis of malignant melanoma.

Dermatoscopy improves the sensitivity and the specificity in the diagnosis of melanoma. Although the reproducibility of dermatoscopic features has been the subject of research, no study up to now has compared the reproducibility of dermatoscopic features to the reproducibility of the clinical criteria of the ABCDE rule. For this reason we decided to examine the reproducibility of the clinical ABCDE rule and of our diagnostic dermatoscopic method 7FFM, as well as of the individual criteria of both. A total of 73 dermatologists attended three dermatoscopic courses and examined a set of clinical and dermatoscopic slides of 50 pigmented skin tumors. Agreement % and K value for a kappa statistical analysis have been calculated to evaluate inter-rater reliability. The clinical and the dermatoscopic methods showed similar values of concordance: clinical score 2 mean agreement = 68%, mean K = 0.44; clinical score 3 mean agreement = 73%, mean K = 0.61; 7FFM mean agreement = 83%, mean K = 0.64. The clinical criteria A, B, and C and the dermatoscopic features of our method presented similar values of concordance as well: clinical criteria mean K range 0.35-0.25, dermatoscopic features mean K range 0.62-0.25. The dermatoscopic features of our method 7FFM show a good reproducibility after a short training program, similar to the reproducibility of the clinical criteria of the ABCDE rule for the diagnosis of melanoma.

Algorithms↗

PubMed2001

Reproducibility of retinal mapping using optical coherence tomography.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the reproducibility of retinal thickness measurement using commercially available mapping software of optical coherence tomography (OCT). METHODS: Six radial scans, 6 mm long and centered on the fixation point, were performed on 10 eyes of 10 healthy volunteers and 10 eyes of 10 diabetic patients with clinically significant macular edema. Retinal thickness was measured automatically using the mapping software of OCT in the 9 macular Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study areas and in a central area 500 microm in diameter. Measurement reproducibility was tested by means of 3 series of scans performed by 2 different observers on 2 different days. Results were assessed by their repeatability and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). RESULTS: In healthy subjects, intraobserver, interobserver, and intervisit reproducibility of retinal thickness measurements were excellent, with a repeatability coefficient of less than 7 microm and ICCs of greater than 0.89. In diabetic patients, the repeatability coefficient was less than 21 microm in all areas of the macula except one, with an ICC of greater than 0.98. Relative variations in measurements were small in both healthy and diabetic subjects, with reproducibilities of +/- 5% and +/- 6%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Retinal mapping software of OCT allows reproducible measurement of retinal thickness in both healthy subjects and diabetic patients with macular edema.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Interobserver reproducibility of cervical cytologic and histologic interpretations: realistic estimates from the ASCUS-LSIL Triage Study.

CONTEXT: Despite a critical presumption of reliability, standards of interpathologist agreement have not been well defined for interpretation of cervical pathology specimens. OBJECTIVE: To determine the reproducibility of cytologic, colposcopic histologic, and loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) histologic cervical specimen interpretations among multiple well-trained observers. DESIGN AND SETTING: The Atypical Squamous Cells of Undetermined Significance-Low-grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion (ASCUS-LSIL) Triage Study (ALTS), an ongoing US multicenter clinical trial. SUBJECTS: From women enrolled in ALTS during 1996-1998, 4948 monolayer cytologic slides, 2237 colposcopic biopsies, and 535 LEEP specimens were interpreted by 7 clinical center and 4 Pathology Quality Control Group (QC) pathologists. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: kappa Values calculated for comparison of the original clinical center interpretation and the first QC reviewer's masked interpretation of specimens. RESULTS: For all 3 specimen types, the clinical center pathologists rendered significantly more severe interpretations than did reviewing QC pathologists. The reproducibility of monolayer cytologic interpretations was moderate (kappa = 0.46; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.44-0.48) and equivalent to the reproducibility of punch biopsy histopathologic interpretations (kappa = 0.46; 95% CI, 0.43-0.49) and LEEP histopathologic interpretations (kappa = 0.49; 95% CI, 0.44-0.55). The lack of reproducibility of histopathology was most evident for less severe interpretations. CONCLUSIONS: Interpretive variability is substantial for all types of cervical specimens. Histopathology of cervical biopsies is not more reproducible than monolayer cytology, and even the interpretation of LEEP results is variable. Given the degree of irreproducibility that exists among well-trained pathologists, realistic performance expectations should guide use of their interpretations.

Biopsy↗

PubMed2000

FMRI of visual encoding: reproducibility of activation.

fMRI, a noninvasive technique to measure brain activation, is gaining clinical interest, because its sensitivity enables individual assessments. However, more insight in the reproducibility of these measurements during higher cognitive tasks is necessary. We performed an fMRI study involving within- and between-subject reproducibility during encoding of complex visual pictures. Ten healthy subjects were studied on three occasions: twice in the same scanning session (study 1 and 2), and a third time, 3-24 days later (study 3). On all 30 occasions but one, activation was found in areas expected on the basis of previous studies, including the fusiform and lingual gyri, occipital and parietal areas, the (para)hippocampal area, and the frontal inferior sulcus. The reproducibility of the number of activated voxels in the whole brain was 72% and 63% (respectively, studies 1 and 2, and 1 and 3). The reproducibility of anatomical identical pixels that supplement these results was 49% and 36%. These reproducibility measures increase about 5-15% when only areas of expected activation are included. The quantitative measurements indicate that there is substantial variation in the volume of activation. The recognition of pictures as tested afterward explains part of this variation between subjects. Our findings indicate that whereas consistent patterns of activation exist, more insight is needed into what determines the volume of activation, especially to assess cognitive alterations in patients over time.

Adult↗

PubMed1994

Histologic grading of breast carcinoma. A reproducibility study.

BACKGROUND: A concern with the histologic grading of breast cancer is that tumor grading is a subjective evaluation that may have problems with reproducibility. METHODS: A single slide from 10 invasive breast cancers was submitted to 25 pathologists who practice in six separate groups. Pathologists graded the tumors using a modified Bloom-Richardson (B-R) scheme, and the results were compared. RESULTS: In 8 of the 10 cases, there was greater than 87% agreement by the pathologists as to the final combined B-R grade, with complete agreement in 2 cases. Only one case had any discrepant opinions that ranged from low to high grade, and this involved only 3 of the 25 pathologists. With respect to B-R score, the pathologists tended to score the tumors as either one of two adjacent scores. Due to this clustering, the B-R scheme appears reproducible into five groups: very low and very high grade tumors and B-R score "5,6," "6,7," and "7,8" tumors. This clustering was especially noticeable in two cases with split decisions, in which the discrepancy in final combined grade was largely due to the tumors being given B-R scores that straddled and were then condensed into two B-R grades. A consensus from each pathology group tended to merge with the majority opinion of all 25 pathologists and was correct for outliers. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that reproducibility of grading breast cancers can be achieved when a histologic grading scheme with specified guidelines is used. Pathologists must be aware of the limits of reproducibility, with appropriate guidelines being followed to help optimize agreement, and there should be an awareness of how pathologists group in their evaluations. Also, it may be advisable to better correlate or link reproducibility data with prognostic data in the design of grading schemes.

Breast Neoplasms↗

PubMed2002

Field test of the reproducibility of the semiflexed metatarsophalangeal view in repeated radiographic examinations of subjects with osteoarthritis of the knee.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the reproducibility of the semiflexed metatarsophalangeal (MTP) view in repeat radiographic examinations of the knee of subjects with osteoarthritis (OA) with respect to radioanatomic alignment of the medial tibial plateau and the central x-ray beam and the precision of measurements of minimum medial tibiofemoral joint space width (JSW). METHODS: Thirty-eight subjects with definite knee OA underwent 2 semiflexed MTP examinations on the same day. Radioanatomic alignment of the medial tibial plateau and the x-ray beam (distance between anterior and posterior margins of the plateau) was measured manually (Lequesne method). Manual measurements of the JSW in repeat radiographs also were obtained. The reproducibility of JSW measurements was estimated by the method of Bland and Altman. RESULTS: Only 29% of the initial semiflexed MTP radiographs exhibited satisfactory radioanatomic alignment (intermargin distance < or =1 mm). However, intermargin distances in initial and repeat radiographs were highly correlated (r = 0.86, P < 0.01). In 89% of knees, the intermargin distance in the first examination was reproduced (+/- 1 mm) in the second examination. The standard error of measurement (mean of within-knee standard deviations of repeat JSW values) was 0.30 mm. The magnitude of discrepancy between repeat measurements of JSW was related positively to overall radiographic severity of knee OA (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The semiflexed MTP protocol affords highly reproducible radioanatomic positioning of the knee, although misalignment of the medial tibial plateau and the x-ray beam occurs in >70% of cases. Precision of measurement of JSW in the semiflexed MTP view approaches that associated with fluoroscopically assisted positioning protocols. However, the consequences of poor, albeit reproducible, alignment of the knee in serial semiflexed MTP radiographs in longitudinal studies of OA progression are currently unknown.

Aged↗

PubMed1994

Reproducibility of the spectral turbulence analysis of the signal-averaged electrocardiogram.

Spectral turbulence analysis (STA) of the signal-averaged electrocardiogram (SAECG) is a recently proposed technique to identify patients with ventricular tachycardia as well as patients at risk for arrhythmic events after acute myocardial infarction (MI). The short-term reproducibility of this technique has been previously reported; our study evaluates the reproducibility of STA by shifting the reference points. Twenty patients with acute MI were recruited. SAECG was recorded 13 days after onset of the acute MI. Unfiltered data were transferred and analyzed by personal computer software for spectral turbulence analysis according to the standard condition; reference points of the segment of interest were shifted from QRS offset -10 ms and QRS onset -10 ms to QRS offset +10 ms and QRS onset +10 ms, step 2 ms. Thus, 10 analyses were computed. Reproducibility of the results was calculated using the coefficient of variation (CV) and the relative error (RE). The reproducibility of the classification (RC) was defined as the percentage of the identical classification compared with the standard segment. CV of the intersegment correlation standard deviation was statistically higher than the other parameters regardless of the lead considered. RE was not different in each parameter and in each lead. RC was > 90% in all parameters, except in spectral entropy which showed an RC > 80%. Reproducibility of the STA introducing a temporal shift in the analyzed segments was high in all considered parameters.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed2003

Differences in the spatial and quantitative reproducibility between two second-dimensional gel electrophoresis systems.

Two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE), together with 2-D gel electrophoresis (GE) analysis software, is a common technique to analyze a complex proteome. In order to accurately locate the differentially expressed proteins in human pituitary macroadenoma tissues in our long-term research program to clarify the molecular mechanisms of macroadenoma formation, a reproducible separation system is needed. An immobilized pH-gradient dry gel-strip (IPG strip) has been extensively used for first-dimensional isoelectric focusing (IEF), and has achieved a high degree of reproducibility in the IEF direction. For the second dimension (SDS-PAGE), different types of gel systems are available, including horizontal vs. vertical gel systems, and gradient vs. constant-percentage gels. A typical horizontal system is the Multiphor II system that analyzes one gel at a time, using a precast gradient gel (180 x 245 x 0.5 mm), and a typical vertical system is the Dodeca system, which analyzes up to 12 gels at a time, using usually a single-concentration gel (190 x 205 x 1 mm). The present study evaluated the spatial and quantitative reproducibility of the two systems for the separation of the complex human pituitary proteome. PDQuest software was used to analyze the digitized gel-image data, and SPSS statistical software was used to analyze the data. The results demonstrated a high percentage (>99%) of protein-spot matches within each electrophoretic system. The Dodeca gel system demonstrated better between-gel reproducibility for spot position, higher resolution in the Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-PAGE direction, lower gel background, better spot quality, and higher reproducibility of the spot volume.

Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of artifacts due to flowing blood on the reproducibility of phase-contrast measurements of myocardial motion.

The reproducibility of myocardial motion trajectories calculated from cine phase-contrast (PC) velocity data is reduced by artifacts due to the inconsistent motion of intracardiac blood. Spatial presaturation reduces these artifacts but requires a longer sequence TR, with a potentially negative effect on trajectory accuracy and reproducibility. We investigated the effect of spatial presaturation on trajectory reproducibility. A mid-ventricular transaxial slice was imaged in five normal volunteers. The same slice was imaged three times each with sequences using spatial presaturation or not. Because the most serious artifacts originate in the heart chambers and propagate in the phase-encoded direction, myocardial regions that were in line with the heart chambers (in the phase-encode direction) had the highest artifact level in the scans without spatial presaturation. The reproducibility of trajectories for regions placed in these areas (the anterior wall, septum and posterior wall in the transaxial scans with phase encoding in the anterior-posterior direction) improved by a factor of two when presaturation was used (P < .001). In areas that were not in line with the heart chambers (eg, the anterior aspect of the lateral wall in the transaxial scans), the effect of presaturation was not significant. These results correlate well with the measured reduction in artifact level. The reproducibility of myocardial motion trajectories over large areas of the heart is improved to approximately 1 mm when presaturation is used. Therefore, use of presaturation is recommended for myocardial motion studies using cine PC velocity data.

Adult↗

PubMed1991

Reproducibility of endoscopic sphincter of Oddi manometry.

Results from endoscopic sphincter of Oddi manometry are being used to support the diagnosis of sphincter dysfunction in patients with unexplained pain after cholecystectomy. However, there are few data on the reproducibility of manometric records or motility diagnosis during a second test. In this study, the reproducibility of manometric records was assessed in 12 patients with pain after cholecystectomy by performing a second study after three months. Manometric tracings were evaluated without access to patients details and scored for sphincter basal pressure, frequency and amplitude of phasic contractions, propagation of phasic contractions, and responses to intravenous injection of cholecystokinin octapeptide (20 ng/kg). At the initial manometric study, four patients were diagnosed as normal, four as stenotic, and four as dyskinetic. Those diagnosed as normal and stenotic at the first study had an identical diagnosis at the second study. However, the diagnosis of dyskinesia was reproduced only in two of the four patients. In the other two patients a diagnosis of "stenosis" and "normal" was made at the second study. Cholecystokinin octapeptide (20 ng/kg intravenous bolus) produced inhibition of phasic contractions in all studies, both initially and at three months. We conclude that endoscopic sphincter of Oddi manometry is reproducible when the initial diagnosis is either normal or stenosis. However, the diagnosis of dyskinesia is poorly reproducible, perhaps due to the episodic nature of this manometric disorder or to progression of sphincter of Oddi dysfunction.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

Validity and reproducibility of electrical impedance tomography for measurement of calf blood flow in healthy subjects.

The Sheffield electrical impedance tomography; (EIT) system produces images of changes in the distribution of resistivity within tissue. The paper reports on the application of electrical impedance tomography in monitoring volume changes in the limb during venous occlusion. The aim of the study is to assess the feasibility, reproducibility and validity of calf blood flow measurements by EIT. In 14 healthy volunteers calf blood flow is compared, as determined in a calf segment by strain-gauge plethysmography (SGP), with the impedance changes measured by EIT during rest and post-ischaemic hyperaemia. The measurements are repeated to assess reproducibility. The reproducibility for the EIT, assessed from the repeated measurements and expressed as a reproducibility coefficient, is 0.88 during rest and 0.89 during hyperaemia. The reproducibility coefficient for SGP data is 0.83 at rest and 0.67 during hyperaemia. Flow measurements, assessed by means of two methods, correlate well at rest (r = 0.89), but only moderately during hyperaemia (r = 0.51). The correlation coefficient for the pooled flow measurements is 0.98. It is concluded that EIT is a valid and reliable method for assessing blood flow in the limb. Possible applications of EIT in localising fluid changes are discussed.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

Image interpretation in CT of laryngeal carcinoma: a study on intra- and interobserver reproducibility.

The object of our study was to evaluate the intra- and interobserver reproducibility of the interpretation of CT examinations of laryngeal carcinoma. The CT examinations of 100 laryngeal cancers were retrospectively reviewed twice by two independent reviewers. Involvement of different structures was assessed, using a standard scoring form. Statistical analysis was done using the Wilcoxon signed rank test and Cohen's kappa. A borderline significant difference between the observers (p < 0.04) was present. Fair to substantial intraobserver reproducibility (kappa = 0.29-0.86), and fair to substantial interobserver reproducibility (average kappa = 0. 26-0.74) were found for most laryngeal structures when a dichotomous categorical scale was used. On the average somewhat lower, but still fair to substantial, intraobserver (kappa = 0.36-0.72), and fair to moderate interobserver (average kappa = 0.29-0.47) reproducibility, were found when a nominal or ordinal categorical scale was used. In conclusion, the interpretation of CT images of laryngeal tumors is reproducible.

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell↗