Inter-observer and intra-observer variability
Thirty patients were selected and analyzed by two cardiologists,
experienced in TOE and 3D echocardiography, blinded to each other’s
results. Intra-observer variability was assessed by repeating
measurements of the same patients at different times, whereas
inter-observer variability was assessed by analyzing the same patients
by two cardiologists. Both variabilities were calculated by intraclass
correlation coefficient (ICC) and the standard error of measurement.
Among all variables provided by the software, 3D area and annulus
perimeter were chosen for variability evaluation. Both TTE and TOE
AutoMVQ measurements of the 3D area and perimeter demonstrated
satisfying intra-observer and inter-observer variability with ICC values
of more than 0.78 (table 1).