Korean J Oral Maxillofac Radiol.  2007 Dec;37(4):191-195.

Intra- and interobserver agreement of computed tomography in assessment of the mandibular condyle

• Cho BH
• Jung YH

Abstract

PURPOSE: To study the intra- and interobserver agreement of multidetector row computed tomography (MDCT) in interpretation of degenerative changes of the mandibular condyle.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Five observers independently evaluated one hundred temporomandibular joint MDCT images for signs of osteophytes, erosion, sclerosis and flattening. The intra- and interobserver agreements were calculated by using Kappa statistics.
RESULTS
The intraobserver agreement was substantial for erosion (k=0.75), flattening (k=0.74) and sclerosis (k=0.72) and almost perfect for osteophytes (k=0.84). The interobserver agreement was fair for flattening (k=0.39), moderate for erosion (k=0.58) and sclerosis (k=0.48) and substantial for osteophytes (k=0.75).
CONCLUSION
This study shows that we can expect good agreement for the presence of osteophytes, but not for flattening in the interpretation of MDCT images of the condyle.

Keyword

Mandibular Condyle; Tomography, Spiral Computed; Observer Variation

MeSH Terms

Mandibular Condyle*
Multidetector Computed Tomography
Observer Variation
Osteophyte
Sclerosis
Temporomandibular Joint
Tomography, Spiral Computed