Test-retest reliability and the minimal detectable change for achilles tendon length: a panoramic ultrasound assessment.
The purpose of the present study was to examine test-retest reliability and minimal detectable change (MDC) values for Achilles tendon (AT) length determined using panoramic ultrasound (US) imaging. Seventeen men (age = 21.0 ± 2.3 y) visited the laboratory on two separate days, where AT length was examined along the mid-longitudinal axis of the right lower leg with a portable B-mode panoramic US device. These measures were found to have acceptable reliability with intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and standard error of measurement (SEM) values of 0.954 and 4.43 mm (SEM% of the mean = 2.37%), respectively. In addition, the MDC for the panoramic US assessment of AT length was 12.27 mm (MDC% of the mean = 6.57%). These findings suggest that panoramic US imaging is a reliable technique for detection of clinically relevant changes in AT length and may therefore be a practical and time-efficient clinical tool for future studies examining AT length in vivo.
Neuromuscular Research Laboratory, Department of Exercise and Sport Science, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA. Electronic address: edryan@email.unc.edu.
Eric D
ED
Ryan
Joseph G
JG
Rosenberg
Michael J
MJ
Scharville
Eric J
EJ
Sobolewski
Brennan J
BJ
Thompson
Gilbert E
GE
King
D000125:Achilles Tendon / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D015588:Observer Variation; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014463:Ultrasonography
Extended field of view; Musculoskeletal; Sonography; Standard error of measurement