Performance of overnight on-call radiology residents in interpreting unenhanced abdominopelvic magnetic resonance imaging studies performed for pediatric right lower quadrant abdominal pain

Abstract

Background: Abdominopelvic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is increasingly being used to evaluate children with abdominal pain suspected of having acute appendicitis. At our institution, these examinations are preliminarily interpreted by radiology residents, especially when performed after hours. Objective: To determine the accuracy of preliminary reports rendered by radiology residents in this setting. Materials and methods: Three hundred seventy-seven pediatric abdominopelvic MRI examinations were included. The preliminary (resident) and final (attending) radiology reports were coded as diagnosing acute appendicitis or no acute appendicitis. The concordance between resident and attending radiologist interpretations was calculated. Additionally, both resident and attending reports were compared to available surgical pathology or clinical follow-up data. Results: Overall concordance rate for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis was 97.1%. Concordance for verified cases of acute appendicitis was 93.4%. Concordance rates did not differ by residents’ postgraduate year levels. When compared against surgical pathology or clinical follow-up data, residents demonstrated 91.2% sensitivity and 97.6% specificity. There was no statistically significant difference in the sensitivity or specificity of resident or attending radiologist interpretations. Conclusion: Radiology residents demonstrate high concordance with attending pediatric radiologists in their interpretations of pediatric abdominopelvic MRI for acute appendicitis. The diagnostic performances of residents and attendings were comparable.