Estimating the reliability of salivary gland ultrasound scoring in Sjögren's disease: the outcome of an international training workshop
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: OBJECTIVES: Current evidence on how training influences the reliability of salivary gland ultrasound (SGUS) image scoring is scarce, particularly in the context of Sjögren's disease (SjD). This study aimed to address this gap by evaluating the effect of a structured training workshop on inter-observer reliability in SGUS scoring among clinicians assessing patients with SjD. METHODS: 25 healthcare professionals from 10 countries, with varying SGUS expertise participated. In random order, SGUS images of 20 suspected SjD patients were assessed before and after the workshop. Images included grey-scale (GS) and colour Doppler (CD) scans of the submandibular and parotid glands and were scored using the OMERACT GS and CD scoring systems. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) assessed overall inter-observer reliability, and participant vs. SGUS-expert reliability (gold standard-participant agreement). Analyses were stratified by SGUS experience (none vs. ≥1 year). RESULTS: The inter-observer reliability ICC for the total OMERACT score was 0.68 pre-workshop vs. 0.79 post-workshop for GS, and 0.73 pre-workshop vs. 0.72 post-workshop for CD. Training significantly improved the gold standard-participant ICC GS (0.06±0.12, p=0.020), particularly for the submandibular glands, while the CD ICC showed a minor, non-significant improvement (0.03±0.09, p=0.129). Inexperienced participants (n=11) showed significant ICC improvement for the total GS OMERACT score (0.13±0.13, p=0.012), whereas experienced participants (n=14) showed a negligible change (0.01±0.09, p=0.624). No significant differences were observed for CD scoring. CONCLUSIONS: A training workshop was associated with improvements for inter-observer reliability for GS SGUS, particularly in submandibular gland assessment and among inexperienced participants. The effects on CD scoring were minimal.
Language: English
Subfield: Physiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4416362277
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