Reproducibility of liver fat content measured using quantitative computed tomography / 中华健康管理学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To provide support for the clinical application of quantitative computed tomography (QCT) in the measurement of liver fat content, this study evaluated the intra-observer and inter-observer reproducibility of liver fat content measured by QCT in a population receiving physical examinations.Methods:From April to July 2019, 291 people were consecutively selected who underwent QCT examination in the health management department of Henan Provincial People′s Hospital. There were 214 males (73.5%) and 77 females (26.5%), aged 48.7±11.0. We measured liver fat content by QCT workstation. Three observers (A, B, C) measured their liver fat content independently, then observer A performed re-testing two weeks later. The mean value of the two measurements from observer A was taken as the final result. Measurement data were described by mean±SD. Intra-observer and inter-observer reproducibility were assessed using intra-class correlation coefficients ( ICC). Results:The first measurement result for observer A was 10.46±5.55 and the second measurement for observer A was 10.66±5.59, resulting in a final value of 10.56±5.51. The measurement results of observers B and C were 10.70±5.45 and 10.86±5.77, respectively. The ICC value of liver fat content values measured by the three observers was 0.960 (95% CI 0.951-0.967, P<0.001) and the ICC value of liver fat content values for the two measurements of observer A was 0.953 (95% CI 0.941-0.962, P<0.001). The ICC values were>0.75, so reproducibility of results was good. Conclusions:If the measurement method is consistent, the results for liver fat content measured by a conventional CT scanner and QCT workstation will have good reproducibility between and within observers, and will also have certain clinical application prospects.