title: Six-minute walk test is reliable and valid in spinal muscular atrophy.
abstract: The Six-Minute Walk Test (6MWT) was adopted as a clinical outcome measure for ambulatory spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). However, a systematic review of measurement properties reported significant variation among chronic pediatric conditions. Our purpose was to assess the reliability/validity of the 6MWT in SMA.
  
  
  
  Thirty participants performed assessments, including the 6MWT, strength, and function. Reproducibility was evaluated by intraclass correlation coefficients. Criterion/convergent validity were determined using Pearson correlation coefficients.
  
  
  
  Test-retest reliability was excellent. The 6MWT was associated positively with peak oxygen uptake, Hammersmith Functional Motor Scale Expanded (HFMSE), lower extremity manual muscle testing, knee flexion hand-held dynamometry, and inversely with 10-m walk/run. The 6MWT discriminates between disease severity, unlike the HFMSE.
  
  
  
  This study documents measurement properties of reproducibility, positive criterion validity, and convergent validity with established clinical assessments and reaffirms the value of the 6MWT as a pivotal outcome measure in SMA clinical trials. Muscle Nerve 54: 836-842, 2016.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, USA. sld2120@columbia.edu.|Department of Rehabilitation and Regenerative Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, USA. sld2120@columbia.edu.
authors.forename: Sally
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dunaway Young
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, USA.|Department of Rehabilitation and Regenerative Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Jacqueline
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Montes
authors.affiliation: Department of Biobehavioral Sciences, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Samantha S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Kramer
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Marra
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Salazar
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Rosangel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cruz
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Claudia A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Chiriboga
authors.affiliation: Department of Biobehavioral Sciences, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Carol Ewing
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Garber
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Darryl C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: De Vivo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D020233:Gait Disorders, Neurologic / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009134:Muscular Atrophy, Spinal / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D000070857:Walk Test / Q000379:methods*; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Six-Minute Walk Test; clinical trials; outcome measure; reliability; spinal muscular atrophy; validation