Inter- and intraobserver variability in sonographic measurement of the lower uterine segment after a previous Cesarean section

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the reproducibility of sonographic measurement of the lower uterine segment in pregnant women at term. Methods: Two independent observers performed transabdominal sonography on 129 women between 36 and 38 weeks of gestation who had had a previous Cesarean section. Sonography was performed when the patients had a full and a half-full bladder; in 100 patients, the measurements were also performed transvaginally, with the patients having an empty bladder. Agreement was quantified by the intraclass correlation coefficient and, using a cut-off of 3.5 mm, by the kappa coefficient. Results: The intraobserver agreement was generally high (intraclass correlation coefficient > 0.90). The interobserver agreement was higher on transvaginal (intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.94) compared with transabdominal (0.70 and 0.84, with full and half-full bladder, respectively) ultrasound. The kappa coefficient was 0.75 transvaginally, compared with 0.34 and 0.54 using the transabdominal approach, with full and half-full bladder, respectively. Conclusion: The agreement between two observers for sonographic transvaginal measurement of the lower uterine segment can be considered good, compared with poor to moderate agreement using the transabdominal approach. Copyright © 2006 ISUOG. Published by the John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.