Inter-Rater Reliability of the CASCADE Criteria: Challenges in Classifying Arteriopathies
- PMID: 27633024
- PMCID: PMC5764077
- DOI: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.116.013544
Inter-Rater Reliability of the CASCADE Criteria: Challenges in Classifying Arteriopathies
Abstract
Background and purpose: There are limited data about the reliability of subtype classification in childhood arterial ischemic stroke, an issue that prompted the IPSS (International Pediatric Stroke Study) to develop the CASCADE criteria (Childhood AIS Standardized Classification and Diagnostic Evaluation). Our purpose was to determine the CASCADE criteria's reliability in a population of children with stroke.
Methods: Eight raters from the IPSS reviewed neuroimaging and clinical records of 64 cases (16 cases each) randomly selected from a prospectively collected cohort of 113 children with arterial ischemic stroke and classified them using the CASCADE criteria. Clinical data abstracted included history of present illness, risk factors, and acute imaging. Agreement among raters was measured by unweighted κ statistic.
Results: The CASCADE criteria demonstrated a moderate inter-rater reliability, with an overall κ statistic of 0.53 (95% confidence interval [CI]=0.39-0.67). Cardioembolic and bilateral cerebral arteriopathy subtypes had much higher agreement (κ=0.84; 95% CI=0.70-0.99; and κ=0.90; 95% CI=0.71-1.00, respectively) than cases of aortic/cervical arteriopathy (κ=0.36; 95% CI=0.01-0.71), unilateral focal cerebral arteriopathy of childhood (FCA; κ=0.49; 95% CI=0.23-0.76), and small vessel arteriopathy of childhood (κ=-0.012; 95% CI=-0.04 to 0.01).
Conclusions: The CASCADE criteria have moderate reliability when used by trained and experienced raters, which suggests that it can be used for classification in multicenter pediatric stroke studies. However, the moderate reliability of the arteriopathic subtypes suggests that further refinement is needed for defining subtypes. Such revisions may reduce the variability in the literature describing risk factors, recurrence, and outcomes associated with childhood arteriopathy.
Keywords: attention; classification; cohort studies; consensus; incidence; pediatrics; risk factors.
© 2016 American Heart Association, Inc.
Conflict of interest statement
R.I is a member of clinical event committee for Berlin EXCOR pediatric ventricular assist device trial. S.R. is a journal editor for Elsevier. W.L. is a consultant for Creativ-Ceuticals on costs of pediatric stroke. The other authors report no conflicts.
Figures
Comment in
-
Transient Cerebral Arteriopathy, Postvaricella Arteriopathy, and Focal Cerebral Arteriopathy or the Unique Susceptibility of the M1 Segment in Children With Stroke.Stroke. 2016 Oct;47(10):2439-41. doi: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.116.014606. Epub 2016 Sep 15. Stroke. 2016. PMID: 27633022 No abstract available.
References
-
- Broderick J, Talbot GT, Prenger E, Leach A, Brott T. Stroke in children within a major metropolitan area: the surprising importance of intracerebral hemorrhage. J Child Neurol. 1993;8:250–255. - PubMed
-
- National Characteristics: Vintage 2011. United States Census Bureau; 2011. [Accessed October 11, 2013]. http://www.census.gov/popest/data/national/asrh/2011/index.html.
Publication types
MeSH terms
Grants and funding
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources
Medical
