Evaluation of reliability and reproducibility of linear measurements of cone-beam-computed tomography.

ABSTRACT

Objective: it was to evaluate intra- and interexaminer reliability and reproducibility of linear measurements in cone-beam tomography (CBCT) images. Materials and Methods: CBCT scans were obtained from 50 patients of a private clinic. Two examiners located the landmarks twice in two-dimensional and three-dimensional images on different days, with images performed 1 week apart. Intra- and interexaminer reproducibility and reliability were analyzed. Results: the measurement error (ME) did not show significant differences between intra- and interexaminers. The intraclass correlations (ICC) between the intra- and interexaminer readings obtained with the different methods showed almost perfect matches. The results demonstrated high examiner reproducibility for linear and volumetric parameters with high intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and coefficient of variation (CV). The ICC showed that the methodology was highly reliable and reproducible (ICC- >0.99 and CV <1.5%). Conclusion: the measurements demonstrated strong agreement between examiners and significant reliability and reproducibility. Therefore, this methodology can serve as a standard for linear measurement analysis of the topography of mandibular canal and osseous adjacent structures.