Table 4.
Studies investigating PI-QUAL
| Author & date | Study period | Country | Study design | Number of patients | Number of readers | MRI system | PI-QUAL inter observer agreement | Objective | Findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karanasios et al. (2022) [55] | 2018 | UK | Retrospective | 247 | 3 | 3 T | κ = 0.47–0.51 | To assess the reproducibility and impact of PI-QUAL scores | Higher PI-QUAL scores are associated with decreased uncertainty in MRI and improved efficiency for cancer diagnosis |
| Potsch et al. (2022) [54] | 2018–2019 | Austria | Retrospective | 50 | 2 | 1.5 or 3 T | κ = 0.51 | To test the inter-reader agreement of PI-QUAL score for mpMRI and its impact on diagnostic performance in an MR-TRUS fusion biopsy population | PI-QUAL has a limited impact on PI-RADS diagnostic performance for MR-TRUS fusion biopsy; the prevalence of prostate cancer was significantly lower when the PI-QUAL score was < 3 |
| Girometti et al. (2022) [56] | 2020 | Italy | Retrospective | 66 | 2 | 1.5 T | κ = 0.51–0.55 | To investigate the interreader agreement of PI-QUAL for mpMRI | The reproducibility of PI-QUAL was moderate; higher PI-QUAL scores were associated with excellent inter-reader agreement for PI-RADSv2.1 categorization |
| Dinneen et al. (2022) [57] | Unspecified | UK | Retrospective | 121 | 3 | 1.5 or 3 T | x | To assess the influence of mpMRI scan quality on EPE diagnostic accuracy | EPE prediction was more reliable when the MRI scan had a higher PI-QUAL score |
| Arnoldner et al. (2022) [48] | Unspecified | International | Prospective | 150 | 2 | 3 T | κ = 0.42 | To investigate the effects of a rectal preparation regimen, that consisted of a rectal cleansing enema and an endorectal gel filling protocol, on PI-QUAL | Rectal preparation significantly improved PI-QUAL scores |
| Giganti et al. (2021) [58] | Unspecified | UK | Retrospective | 103 | 2 | 1.5 or 3 T | κ = 0.82–0.85 | To investigate the interreader reproducibility of the PI-QUAL score in patients enrolled in the NeuroSAFE PROOF trial | The reproducibility in the assessment of PI-QUAL between two radiologists with high expertise in prostate mpMRI was strong |
| Boschheidgen et al. (2021) [36] | 2016–2020 | Germany | Retrospective | 140 | 3 | 1.5 or 3 T | x | To evaluate image quality and diagnostic value of mpMRI in patients with total hip replacement at 1.5 and 3 T | PI-QUAL is applicable for prostate MRI in patients with total hip replacement |
Abbreviations: HBB=hyoscine butylbromide; κ=Cohen’s kappa coefficient; TRUS=transrectal ultrasound; EPE=extra-prostatic extension.