title: Test-retest repeatability of anorectal physiology tests in healthy volunteers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was undertaken to evaluate repeatability of tests of anorectal function in 58 healthy female volunteers, mean age 50 (range, 45-57) years.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were studied on two separate occasions by one investigator in one laboratory using the same equipment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean difference for perineal position was 0.1 (95 percent confidence interval, -0.1-0.3) cm, and for perineal descent it was 0.02 (-0.2-0.3) cm. For anal mucosa electrosensitivity, mean difference was -0.1 (-0.4-0.1) mA, for maximum anal resting pressure it was 2.2 (-3.5-7.8) cm H2O, for maximum anal squeeze pressure it was -1 (-6.5-4.5) cm H2O, and for pudendal nerve terminal motor latency it was 0.04 (-0.02-0.09) msec. Coefficients of variation varied from 8 percent for pudendal nerve terminal motor latency to 49 percent for perineal descent.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was no systematic variation in repeated measurements for any of the parameters studied; however, the nonsystematic variation was generally large.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery L, Amtssygehuset, University Hospital of Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Ryhammer
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Laurberg
authors.forename: A P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Hermann
mesh_terms: D015982:Bias; D004568:Electrodiagnosis / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa; D008365:Manometry / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011930:Reaction Time; D012007:Rectum / Q000502:physiology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D016037:Single-Blind Method