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Article
Test-retest reliability and the minimal detectable change for Achilles tendon length: A panoramic ultrasound assessment
Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology
  • Eric D. Ryan, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
  • Joseph G. Rosenberg, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
  • Michael J. Scharville, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
  • Eric J. Sobolewski, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
  • Brennan J. Thompson, Utah State University
  • Gilbert E. King, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
Document Type
Article
Publisher
Elsevier
Publication Date
12-1-2013
Disciplines
Abstract

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.

Citation Information
Ryan, E.D., Rosenberg, J.G., Scharville, M.J., Sobolewski, E.J., Thompson, B.J., and King, G.E. (2013). Test-retest reliability and the minimal detectable change for Achilles tendon length: A panoramic ultrasound assessment. Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology, 39: 2488-2491.