The reliability of Cavalier’s principle of stereological method in determining volumes of enchondromas using the computerized tomography tools

Abstract

Introduction: Volumetric measurements of benign tumors enable surgeons to trace volume changes during follow-up periods. For a volumetric measurement technique to be applicable, it should be easy, rapid, and inexpensive and should carry a high interobserver reliability. We aimed to assess the interobserver reliability of a volumetric measurement technique using the Cavalier's principle of stereological methods. Materials and methods: The computerized tomography (CT) of 15 patients with a histopathologically confirmed diagnosis of enchondroma with variant tumor sizes and localizations was retrospectively reviewed for interobserver reliability evaluation of the volumetric stereological measurement with the Cavalier's principle,The volumes of the 15 tumors collected by the observers are demonstrated in Table 1. There was no statistical significance between the first and second observers (p ¼ 0.000 and intraclass correlation coefficient ¼ 0.970) and between the first and third observers (p ¼ 0.000 and intraclass correlation coefficient ¼ 0.981). No statistical significance was detected between the second and third observers (p ¼ 0.000 and intraclass correlation coefficient ¼ 0.976). Conclusion: The Cavalier's principle with the stereological technique using the CT scans is an easy, rapid, and inexpensive technique in volumetric evaluation of enchondromas with a trustable interobserver reliability.

Stereological Estimation of Bone Cyst Volume Using Computed Tomography Images: A Comparison with the Planimetry Technique

“…The volume of benign bone lesions such as a bone cyst or enchondroma is fundamental for evaluation, treatment, and sur-gical management of the pathology related to any bone (6). As most benign lesions respond well to surgical removal, surgical treatment is one of the preferred options for the management of benign lesions.…”

“…The exact volume of the cyst is also necessary for the planning of surgical treatment, especially to estimate the amount of graft required to fill the defect. Therefore, a technique for accurate and reliable estimation of the cyst volume has to be clinically oriented (6,7).…”