Payne, Catherine, Webborn, Nick, Watt, Peter and Cercignani, Mara (2017) Poor reproducibility of compression elastography in the Achilles tendon: same day and consecutive day measurements. Skeletal Radiology, 46 (7). pp. 889-895. ISSN 0364-2348

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Abstract

OBJECTIVE

To determine the reproducibility of compression elastography (CE) when measuring strain data, a measure of stiffness of the human Achilles tendon in vivo, over consecutive measures, consecutive days and when using different foot positions.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Eight participants (4 males, 4 females; mean age 25.5 ± 2.51 years, range 21-30 years; height 173.6 ± 11.7 cm, range 156-189 cm) had five consecutive CE measurements taken on one day and a further five CE measures taken, one per day, at the same time of day, every day for a consecutive 5-day period. These 80 measurements were used to assess both the repeatability and reproducibility of the technique. Means, standard deviations, coefficient of variation (CV), Pearson correlation analysis (R) and intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) were calculated.

RESULTS

For CE data, all CVs were above 53%, R values indicated no-to-weak correlations between measures at best (range 0.01-0.25), and ICC values were all classified in the poor category (range 0.00-0.11). CVs for length and diameter measures were acceptably low indicating a high level of reliability.

CONCLUSIONS

Given the wide variation obtained in the CE results, it was concluded that CE using this specific system has a low level of reproducibility for measuring the stiffness of the human Achilles tendon in vivo over consecutive days, consecutive measures and in different foot positions.

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	Elastography, Compression elastography, Achilles tendon
Schools and Departments:	Brighton and Sussex Medical School > Neuroscience
Subjects:	R Medicine > R Medicine (General) > R895 Medical physics. Medical radiology. Nuclear medicine R Medicine > RC Internal medicine > RC0581 Specialties of internal medicine > RC1200 Sports medicine
Depositing User:	Patricia Butler
Date Deposited:	03 May 2018 15:16
Last Modified:	03 May 2018 15:25
URI:	http://srodev.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/75603

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