title: Reliability of the radiographic union scale in tibial fractures (RUST).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to evaluate the inter- and intra observer reproducibility of the radiographic score of consolidation of the tibia shaft fractures.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-one sets of radiographs in anteroposterior (AP) and profile (P) of the tibial shaft treated with intramedullary nail were obtained. The analysis of X-rays was performed in two stages, with a 21-day interval between assessments by a group of nine evaluators. To evaluate the reproducibility of RUST score between the evaluators, the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) with a 95% confidence interval was used. ICC values range from +1, representing perfect agreement, to -1, complete disagreement.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a significant correlation among all evaluators: ICC = 0.87 (95% CI 0.81 to 0.91). The intraobserver agreement proved to be substantial with ICC = 0.88 (95% CI 0.85 to 0.91).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study confirms that the RUST scale shows a high degree of reliability and agreement.
authors.affiliation: Hospital do Subúrbio, Salvador, BA, Brazil; Hospital Manoel Victorino, Salvador, BA, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fernando Antonio Silva de
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Azevedo Filho
authors.affiliation: Hospital do Subúrbio, Salvador, BA, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ricardo Britto
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Cotias
authors.affiliation: Hospital Manoel Victorino, Salvador, BA, Brazil.
authors.forename: Matheus Lemos
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Azi
authors.affiliation: Hospital do Subúrbio, Salvador, BA, Brazil.
authors.forename: Armando Augusto de Almeida
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Teixeira
keywords: Fracture healing; Radiography; Tibia