title: The assisted 6-minute cycling test to assess endurance in children with a neuromuscular disorder.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  For late- or non-ambulant children with a neuromuscular disorder no suitable endurance tests are currently available. We developed the assisted 6-minute cycling test (A6MCT) for the legs and arms and investigated its psychometric properties in healthy boys and boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety-nine healthy boys and 30 boys with DMD (12 wheelchair-dependent) performed the A6MCT. Seventy healthy boys also performed the 6-minute walk test (6MWT), and 23 boys performed the A6MCT twice within 2 weeks. Boys with DMD also performed the Motor Function Measure (MFM).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The A6MCT was feasible for >90% of all boys. Boys with DMD achieved fewer cycling revolutions than controls. The A6MCT was positively correlated with the 6MWT and was reproducible in healthy boys, and it correlated with disease severity in boys with DMD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The A6MCT is a promising outcome measure for the follow-up of non-ambulant children with a neuromuscular disorder.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation, Nijmegen Centre for Evidence Based Practice, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Reinier Postlaan 4, 6525 GC Nijmegen, The Netherlands. m.jansen@reval.umcn.nl
authors.forename: Merel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jansen
authors.forename: Moniek
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De Jong
authors.forename: Hanna M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Coes
authors.forename: Florieke
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Eggermont
authors.forename: Nens
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Van Alfen
authors.forename: Imelda J M
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: De Groot
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005080:Exercise Test / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020388:Muscular Dystrophy, Duchenne / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010807:Physical Endurance / Q000502:physiology*