Investigation of Variation of IMT Measurement among Different Examiners

Abstract

IMT measurement is useful of the evaluation of early arteriosclerotic change. Using images preserved on IMT equipment, we made a comparison of measurements carried out by three independent examiners. We also carried out measurements using the IMT measurement software installed in the equipment. Two of the three examiners showed good correlation of their measurement values, and a high correlation with the results of automatic analysis was also recognized. Automatic measurement provided a very high correlation with usual measurement when there was no hard plaque. Areas where there was hard plaque or bending did not show a high correlation among the three examiners. These findings highlight the need to improve IMT assessments made by examiners.