True Reproducibility of UltraSound Techniques (TRUST): systematic review of reliability studies in obstetrics and gynecology

Abstract

ObjectivesTo examine the quality of methods used and the accuracy of the interpretation of agreement in existing studies that examine the reliability of ultrasound measurements and judgments in obstetrics and gynecology. Methods

How often does the embryo implant at the location to which it was transferred?

“…The results of the present study show that, overall, 40.8% (29/71) of embryos implanted at the location where the air bubbles were visualized at 1 min after ET, and 50.7% (36/71) of embryos implanted at the location where the air bubbles were visualized at 60 min after ET. The Cohen's kappa coefficients for agreement were 0.21 ( P < 0.01) and 0.37 ( P < 0.001), respectively, both denoting an overall poor level of agreement.…”

“…Data on agreement were presented as proportions, along with Cohen's kappa coefficients and 95% CIs. Strength of the agreement was ascertained based on the following values: ≤ 0.20, very poor; 0.21–0.40, poor; 0.41–0.60, moderate; 0.61–0.80, good and ≥ 0.81, very good. Levels of agreement were then compared using a chi‐square McNemar test.…”

Intraobserver and interobserver reproducibility of third trimester uterine artery pulsatility index

“…For interpretation of ICC, CCC, and Cohen's kappa, we used recently published cutoff values: ICC and CCC: ≤0.70 very poor, 0.70 to 0.90 poor, 0.90 to 0.95 moderate, 0.95 to 0.99 good, ≥0.99 very good; Cohen's kappa: ≤0.20 very poor, 0.21‐0.40 poor, 0.41‐0.60 moderate, 0.61‐0.80 good, ≥0.81 very good. The relationship between BMI and GA and reproducibility was investigated with Spearman's correlation coefficient.…”

“…A recently published article on Nature pointed at a “Reproducibility Issue” in biological sciences . Obstetric measurements, and Doppler in particular, are not immune from these concerns, and a debate is currently ongoing on which cutoffs should be used to interpret reproducibility studies …”

Uterine cavity imaging, volume estimation and quantification of degree of deformity using automatic volume calculation: description of technique

“…We hypothesize that visualization of the uterine cavity using automatic volume calculation (Figure ) would improve diagnostic accuracy in and management of women with different morphological shapes of the uterine cavity. However, the reliability and validity of this method need to be assessed in prospective studies. Whether the resulting images and volume measurements contribute to better understanding of uterine morphology and the relationship between uterine cavity volume, normal and abnormal uterine cavity shape and reproductive failure should be evaluated.…”