Interobserver agreement among endoscopists on evaluation of polypoid colorectal lesions visualized with the Pentax i-Scan technique

• Published in: Digestive and liver disease Vol. 45; no. 3; pp. 207 - 210
• Main Authors: Masci, Enzo, Mangiavillano, Benedetto, Crosta, Cristiano, Fiori, Giancarla, Trovato, Cristina, Viaggi, Paolo, Zambelli, Alessandro, Buffoli, Federico, Staiano, Teresa, Manfredi, Guido, Manguso, Francesco, Arena, Monica, Santoro, Tara, Viale, Edi, Testoni, Pier Alberto
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Ltd 01.03.2013
• Subjects: Aged; Agreement; Colon; Colonic Polyps - pathology; Colonoscopy - methods; Colonoscopy - statistics & numerical data; Colorectal Neoplasms - pathology; Female; Gastroenterology and Hepatology; Humans; i-Scan; Image Enhancement; Intestinal Mucosa - pathology; Male; Middle Aged; Observer Variation; Polyps; Agreement; Colon; Polyps; i-Scan
• ISSN: 1590-8658; 1878-3562
• DOI: 10.1016/j.dld.2012.09.012

Abstract Background and aims Advances in colonoscopy, such as the Pentax i-Scan electronic technique, have the potential to improve the early detection of colorectal cancer. The aim of this multicentre study was to assess the interobserver agreement in the visualization of the surface and margins of colorectal polyps and in distinguishing neoplastic from non-neoplastic polyps. Patients and methods Eight expert endoscopists examined 400 mixed previously recorded images of polyps taken with different Pentax i-Scan settings in order to give an evaluation of the surface of the polyp and regular colonic mucosa, the pit-pattern and the nature of the lesion. Results A total of 400 mixed images of polyps with a diameter >5 mm and <10 mm were stored for analysis. Overall, there was a Kf agreement of 0.370 ( p < 0.001) and 0.306 ( p < 0.001) regarding pit-pattern and margins, respectively. The Kf agreement for the difference between neoplastic and non-neoplastic lesions was of 0.446 ( p < 0.001). Conclusions We observed good interobserver agreement in the evaluation of neoplastic and non-neoplastic lesions and poor agreement in the evaluation of pit-pattern and margins. Adequate training is required in order to interpret images acquired with the i-Scan technique.