Daniel C. Sullivan MD, Moderator: Nothing to Disclose

1) Understand the activities that RSNA supports to help move the profession of radiology from a primarily qualitative interpretation paradigm to a more quantitative-based interpretation model. 2) Describe the challenges of extracting uniform, standardized quantitative measures from clinical imaging scans. 3) Describe the benefits of implementing more quantitative image interpretation in clinical radiology practice, including quality assurance activities and for the development of decision-support tools. 4) List an example of an imaging biomarker from CT, MR, PET and ultrasound scans that are needed in clinical practice.

In response to the need for reliable and reproducible quantification of biomedical imaging data, the RSNA in 2007 organized the Quantitative Imaging Biomarkers Alliance (QIBA, http://rsna.org/QIBA_.aspx) whose mission is to improve the value and practicality of quantitative imaging biomarkers by reducing variability across devices, patients and time. QIBA participants span a wide range of expertise including clinical practice, clinical research, physics, statistics, engineering, marketing, regulatory, pharmaceutical, and computer science. QIBA employs a systematic, consensus-driven approach to produce a QIBA Profile that includes one or more Claims and specifications for the image acquisition and processing necessary to achieve that Claim. QIBA Profiles are based on published data whenever such data are available and on expert consensus opinion for specifications where no data exist. Thus there are several sources of variability in the quantitative results obtained from clinical images, which can be grouped into three categories: (1) the image acquisition hardware, software and procedures; (2) the measurement methods used; and (3) the reader variability.  Examples of QIBA Profiles for CT volumetry, DW-MR, FDG-PET and ultrasound for liver elastography will be discussed.

Sullivan, D, Special Interest Session: Optimizing Quantitative Imaging Biomarkers for Practice: QIBA Examples from CT, MR, PET and US.  Radiological Society of North America 2014 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, - ,Chicago IL. http://archive.rsna.org/2014/14002935.html