Intra- and interobserver agreement among bronchial endosonographers for the description of intrathoracic lymph nodes.

Autores de IIS La Fe

• Pilar Serra Añó

  Autor

• Felipe Cristobal Andreo Garcia

  Autor

• Antonio Rosell Gratacos

  Autor

• Enrique Cases Viedma

  Autor

• Juan Ruiz Manzano

  Autor

Participantes ajenos a IIS La Fe

• Garcia-Olivé I
• Radua J
• Sanz-Santos J
• Monsó E
• Fernández-Villar A
• Núñez-Delgado M
• García-Luján R
• Morera J

Grupos

• Infecciones Respiratorias

Abstract

Several sonographic features observed by endobronchial ultrasonography have been suggested to be useful to predict malignancy in mediastinal lymph nodes. To evaluate agreement to describe sonographic features, 28 video images were evaluated twice by eight expert bronchoscopists. The observers reviewed each case for the presence of coagulation necrosis sign (CNS), central hilar structure (CHS), heterogeneity, distinct margin, round shape, size >1 cm and malignancy. Intraobserver agreement was almost perfect for size (? = 0.826), substantial for CNS (? = 0.721) and shape (? = 0.615), and moderate for CHS (? = 0.565), heterogeneity (? = 0.441) and margin (? = 0.407). Interobserver agreement was substantial for size (? = 0.641), moderate for shape (? = 0.445), and fair for CNS (? = 0.340) and margin (? = 0.274). In conclusion, inter- and intraobserver agreement of the endosonographic features for mediastinal or hilar lymph nodes is good for shape or size but not good enough for the other ultrasonographic features.