Impact of software-assisted structured reporting on radiology residents approaching prostate MRI.

PURPOSE

To evaluate the potential advantages of software-assisted structured reporting for radiology residents approaching multiparametric prostate MRI (mpMRI).

METHODS

MpMRI scans from 100 patients, performed for prostate cancer (PCa) detection or staging, were anonymized, and reviewed by six second-year radiology residents without previous experience in prostate MRI, following 6 h of intensive training. The dataset was split into two subsets of 50 cases each. All residents were asked to report scans from the first subset using a basic text processor (narrative reports -NR-). For the second subset, one group used a dedicated software to produce structured reports (SR) while the other continued with NR. Report completeness was assessed using a PI-RADS-based checklist, and statistical analyses, including Wilcoxon rank sum and Pearson's Chi-squared tests, were performed to compare word count, reporting time, and concordance with an expert radiologist's findings.

RESULTS

All readers adopting SR in the second batch demonstrated a significant increase in word count and a decrease in reporting time compared to the first batch. Image quality and final impressions were missing from all NR, while gland size, lesion description, and PI-RADS score were consistently included in nearly all reports (96-100 %). One of the three residents using SR showed a statistically significant improvement in concordance with the expert radiologist on index lesion location and clinically significant PCa presence (p = 0.001), while the other two exhibited positive trends (p = 0.061-0.078).

CONCLUSIONS

The adoption of SR allowed radiology residents to decrease their reporting time and improve the comprehensiveness of their reports, while increasing concordance with an expert radiologist.