Interpretation of Positron Emission Mammography and MRI by Experienced Breast Imaging Radiologists: Performance and Observer Reproducibility

Interpretation of Positron Emission Mammography and MRI by Experienced Breast Imaging Radiologists: Performance and Observer Reproducibility
Deepa Narayanan, Kathleen S. Madsen, Judith E. Kalinyak, and Wendie A. Berg
AJR 2011; 196:971-981

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Across 36 observers, mean sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve (AUC) for PEM were 96% (range, 75–100%), 84% (range, 66–97%), and 0.95 (range, 0.82–1.0), respectively. Mean sensitivity, specificity, and AUC for the MRI task were 82% (range, 45–100%), 67% (range, 38–91%), and 0.80 (range, 0.48–0.96), respectively. Interobserver agreement for PEM findings ranged from moderate to substantial, with kappa values of 0.57 for lesion type and 0.63 for final assessments.

With minimal training, experienced breast imagers showed high performance in interpreting PEM images. Performance in MRI interpretation by the same observers validated expected clinical practice.