Inter-vendor and inter-observer reliability of diffusion tensor imaging in the musculoskeletal system: a multiscanner MR study

Abstract

Background

To evaluate the inter-observer and inter-vendor reliability of diffusion tensor imaging parameters in the musculoskeletal system.

Methods

This prospective study included six healthy volunteers three men (mean age: 42; range: 31–52 years) and three women (mean age: 36; range: 30–44 years).

Each subject was scanned using different 3 Tesla magnetic resonance scanners from three different vendors at three different sites bilaterally. First, the intra-class correlation coefficient was used to determine between-observers agreement for overall measurements and clinical sites. Next, between-group comparisons were made through the nonparametric Friedman’s test. Finally, the Bland–Altman method was used to determine agreement among the three scanner measurements, comparing them two by two.

Results

A total of 792 measurement were calculated. ICC reported high levels of agreement between the two observers. ICC related to MD, FA, and RD measurements ranged from 0.88 (95% CI 0.85–0.90) to 0.95 (95% CI 0.94–0.96), from 0.85 (95% CI 0.81–0.88) to 0.95 (95% CI 0.93–0.96), and from 0.89 (0.85–0.90) to 0.92 (0.90–0.94).

No statistically significant inter-vendor differences were observed. The Bland–Altmann method confirmed a high correlation between parameter values.

Conclusion

An excellent inter-observer and inter-vendor reliability was found in our study.

Key points

Diffusion tensor imaging shows excellent inter-observer reliability.

Diffusion tensor imaging shows excellent inter-vendor reliability.

Quantitative results in musculoskeletal application of diffusion tensor imaging are reproducible in all the three magnetic resonance scanners.

DTI, as a reproducible magnetic resonance sequence, can be used for a quantitative evaluation of muscle microstructures during daily practice.