Diagnostic performance and interreader agreement of CEUS LI-RADS in ≤ 30 mm liver nodules with different experienced radiologists

Abstract

Purpose: To explore the diagnostic performance and interreader agreement of CEUS LI-RADS in diagnosing ≤ 30 mm liver nodules with different experienced radiologists.

Methods: Between January 2018 and October 2020, 244 patients at high-risk for HCC who underwent CEUS were enrolled. Two novice radiologists and two expert radiologists independently evaluated LI-RADS categories and main features. Kappa (κ) and Kendall's tests were employed to evaluate the interreader agreement of CEUS LI-RADS. The diagnostic performance was determined based on sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, PPV and NPV.

Results: The interreader agreement for arterial phase hyperenhancement, late and mild washout, early washout, and rim hyperenhancement was moderate to almost perfect (κ, 0.44-0.93) among the different levels of radiologists. The interreader agreement for the LI-RADS categories was substantial to almost perfect (κ, 0.78-0.88). However, the interreader agreement for marked washout was fair to moderate (κ, 0.28-0.50). When CEUS LR-5 was used as a diagnostic criterion for HCC, there were no statistical differences in sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, PPV and NPV among the radiologists (p > 0.05), except for the differences between Reader 4 and the remaining three radiologists in terms of accuracy and sensitivity (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: CEUS LI-RADS has good diagnostic agreement for ≤ 30 mm liver nodules among experienced radiologists.

Keywords: Contrast-enhanced ultrasound; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Liver; Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System.