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Assessing the neuroanatomy knowledge and spatial ability of radiotherapy technologist undergraduates using an interactive volumetric simulation tool—the RadioLOG project

  • Radiological Education
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Abstract

Objective

To assess the use of a volumetric image display simulation tool (VDST) for the evaluation of applied radiological neuroanatomy knowledge and spatial understanding of radiotherapy technologist (RTT) undergraduates.

Methods

Ninety-two third-year RTT students from three French RTT schools took an examination using software that allows visualization of multiple volumetric image series. To serve as a reference, 77 first- and second-year undergraduates, as well as ten senior neuroradiologists, took the same examination. The test included 13 very-short-answer questions (VSAQ) and 21 exercises in which examinees positioned markers onto preloaded brain MR images from a healthy volunteer. The response time was limited. Each correct answer scored 100 points, with a maximum possible test score of 3,400 (VSAQ = 1,300; marker exercise = 2,100). Answers were marked automatically for the marker positioning exercise and semi-automatically for the VSAQs against prerecorded expected answers.

Results

Overall, the mean test score was 1,787 (150–3,300) and the standard deviation was 781. Scores were highly significantly different between all evaluated groups (p < 0.001). The interoperator reproducibility was 0.90. All the evaluated groups could be discriminated by VSAQ, marker, and overall total scores independently (p ≤ 0.0001 to 0.001). The test was able to discriminate between the three schools either by VSAQ scores (p < 0.001 to 0.02) or by overall total score (p < 0.001 to 0.05).

Conclusion

This software is a high-quality evaluation tool for the assessment of radiological neuroanatomy knowledge and spatial understanding in RTT undergraduates.

Key Points

• This VDST allows volumetric image analysis of MR studies.

• A high reliability test could be created with this tool.

• Test scores were strongly associated with the examinee expertise level.

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Abbreviations

RTT:

Radiotherapy technologists

VDST:

Volumetric image display simulation tools

VSAQ:

Very-short-answer questions

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Funding

The authors state that this work has not received any funding.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiation Therapy, Institut de Cancérologie de Lorraine, Vandoeuvre Les Nancy, France

    Guillaume Vogin

  2. Centre François Baclesse, Centre National de Radiothérapie du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg, Boîte postale 436, L-4005, Esch sur Alzette, Luxembourg

    Guillaume Vogin

  3. UMR 7365 CNRS-UL, IMoPA, Vandoeuvre Les Nancy, France

    Guillaume Vogin

  4. INSERM CIC-IT 1433, CHRU Nancy, Nancy, France

    Marc Fauvel, Gabriela Hossu, Marine Beaumont, Emilien Micard & Pedro Texeira

  5. IFMEM Nancy, Tour Marcel Brot, Nancy, France

    Karine Feltgen & Marie-Line Androni

  6. Lycée J. Rostand, 5 rue E. Labbe, 67084, Strasbourg, France

    Elisabeth Moerschel

  7. IFMEM Reims, 45 Rue Cognacq Jay, 51092, Reims, France

    Nicolas Gillet

  8. Department of Neuroradiology, CHRU Nancy, Nancy, France

    Florence Beuret & Romain Tonnelet

  9. Guilloz Imaging Department, Central Hospital, CHRU Nancy, Nancy, France

    Pedro Texeira

Authors
  1. Guillaume Vogin
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  2. Marc Fauvel
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  3. Gabriela Hossu
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  4. Marine Beaumont
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  5. Emilien Micard
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  7. Marie-Line Androni
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  8. Elisabeth Moerschel
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  9. Nicolas Gillet
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  10. Florence Beuret
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  11. Romain Tonnelet
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  12. Pedro Texeira
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Guillaume Vogin.

Ethics declarations

Guarantor

The scientific guarantor of this publication is Prof Pedro Teixeira, MD, PhD.

Conflict of interest

The authors of this manuscript declare no relationships with any companies whose products or services may be related to the subject matter of the article.

Statistics and biometry

One of the authors (GH) has significant statistical expertise.

No complex statistical methods were necessary for this paper.

Informed consent

Written informed consent was obtained from all subjects in this study as well as the heads of the schools.

Ethical approval

Institutional Review Board approval was not required because this is a prospective educational study.

Methodology

• prospective

• experimental

• multicenter study

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Electronic supplementary material

Supplementary Table 1

Detailed scores for each question and each group of participants (percentage) (DOCX 43 kb)

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Vogin, G., Fauvel, M., Hossu, G. et al. Assessing the neuroanatomy knowledge and spatial ability of radiotherapy technologist undergraduates using an interactive volumetric simulation tool—the RadioLOG project. Eur Radiol 31, 2132–2143 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-020-07351-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-020-07351-1

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