title: Inter- and intratester reliability values of ultrasound imaging measurements of diaphragm movement in the thoracic and thoracolumbar curves in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to determine intertester and intratester reliability of ultrasound measurements of bilateral diaphragm excursions in the thoracic and thoracolumbar spinal curves of 31 females with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) (mean age = 14.1 ± 1.8 years).
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects were tested during tidal breathing using real-time ultrasound imaging with a 3.5 MHz curvilinear transducer.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no significant differences in intratester and intertester reliability values in bilateral diaphragmatic excursions measured at the thoracolumbar spinal curve, whereas significant differences were observed in measurements taken at the thoracic spinal curve (p < 0.05). Overall, the intertester and intratester reliabilities of the thoracic and thoracolumbar curves in AIS ranged from 0.764 to 0.998.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that ultrasound imaging is highly reliable between and within testers and is useful to precisely discriminate pathological diaphragm movement in idiopathic thoracic scoliosis and idiopathic thoracolumbar scoliosis.
authors: a Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation , Seoul Hyu Rehabilitation Hospital , Gyeonggi-do , Republic of Korea.
authors: Dong Koog
authors: DK
authors: Noh
authors: a Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation , Seoul Hyu Rehabilitation Hospital , Gyeonggi-do , Republic of Korea.
authors: Jae-Hyun
authors: JH
authors: Koh
authors: b Department of Physical Therapy , College of Health Science, Yonsei University , Kangwon-do , Republic of Korea.
authors: Joshua Sung-H
authors: JS
authors: You
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D003964:Diaphragm / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae; D008297:Male; D009068:Movement; D009119:Muscle Contraction; D019370:Observation; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012544:Scheuermann Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis; diaphragm movement; reliability; ultrasound imaging