A semi-automated program for volume measurement in focal hepatic lesions: a first clinical experience.

The value of a semi-automated program for volumetric measurements was tested in 53 patients with liver lesions. Three different radiologists performed 10 measurements on a liver lesion in each patient. The variances of the measurements were calculated. There was no difference in intra- and interoperator variance of the measurements. If the diameter of the liver lesion exceeded the slice thickness, the different measurements became more reliable and more reproducible. The semi automation of the volume measurements makes its use in daily clinical practice possible. Volume measurement can be interesting in the follow-up and evaluation of the treatment on tumor reduction. However further and more thorough investigation is needed to test the clinical usefulness of the program.