Intra- and Interobserver Reproducibility of Placental Shear Wave Elastography Measurements

Abstract

Objectives To evaluate the intra- and interobserver reproducibility of placental shear wave elastography (SWE) in healthy third-trimester singleton pregnancies.Methods This prospective study included 80 women with singleton pregnancies between 28 and 37 weeks of gestation. Placental stiffness was measured using point SWE at central and peripheral regions. Each participant was evaluated twice by 1 observer and once by another. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were calculated to assess reproducibility.Results Placental SWE showed moderate reproducibility. In anterior placentas, intraobserver ICCs were 0.681 for peripheral and 0.715 for central regions, while interobserver ICCs were 0.630 and 0.701, respectively. In posterior placentas, intraobserver ICCs were 0.785 for peripheral and 0.765 for central regions, with interobserver ICCs of 0.717 and 0.753, respectively. In the total cohort, peripheral SWE velocity had an intraobserver ICC of 0.728 and interobserver ICC of 0.672, while central SWE velocity demonstrated comparable values, with intraobserver ICC of 0.729 and interobserver ICC of 0.727.Conclusion Placental SWE demonstrated moderate intra- and interobserver reproducibility, with minor variations depending on placental location. Despite these differences, measurement reliability was sufficiently acceptable to support its feasibility as a noninvasive adjunct in placental assessment.