Within-day intrarater and interrater reliability of portable ultrasound measurements of supraspinatus muscle thickness in healthy people: A preliminary study

Kumar, Praveen; Gerrish, Chloe; Millard, Lily; Matthews, Ronald; Plater, Adam; Rajakaruna, Katherine; Cruziah, Reynold

Abstract

Background: Glenohumeral subluxation (GHS) and hemiplegic shoulder pain (HSP) are common post-stroke complications reported in up to 81% and 65% of patients respectively. Rotator cuff muscle weakness, especially supraspinatus muscle inactivity is a potential risk factor for both GHS and HSP.
Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess within-day intrarater and interrater reliability of portable ultrasound measurements of supraspinatus muscle thickness (SMT) in healthy people prior to testing on people with stroke.
Methods: Seventeen healthy participants (11 men, 6 women; mean age 24±7 years) were recruited from the university. Seated participants were scanned by two novice assessors using the standardized protocol. The SMT at its widest point was measured using the on-screen caliper both during rest and isometric contraction. Two sets of three measurements were recorded with an interval of 10 minutes between sets. Raters were blind to their own measurements (values were obscured by placing a sticker on the ultrasound screen). Reliability was assessed by Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), and standard error of measurement (SEM). Minimum detectable change (MDC90) scores were used to estimate the magnitude of change.
Results: Mean SMT for rater one and two were 2.40.5 cm (95% Confidence Interval 2.1-2.6cm) at rest and 2.60.4 cm (CI% 2.3-2.8cm) during isometric contraction. ICC for the two raters were 0.98 (0.93-0.99), 0.98 (0.95-0.99) at rest and 0.98 (0.95-0.99), 0.98 (0.93-0.99) during isometric contraction. Corresponding value for interrater reliability were 0.95 (0.87-0.98) and 0.95 (0.86-0.98) respectively. The SEM was <0.1cm and MDC90 was <0.2cm across all measurements.
Conclusion: The ultrasound measurements of SMT demonstrate good intrarater and interrater reliability in healthy individuals even when measured by relatively inexperienced raters. It has potential for use as an outcome measure both in research and clinical fields. Research into reliability of ultrasound measurements of SMT in patients with stroke is required.

• Presentation Conference Type: Poster
• Conference Name: ACPIN International Conference, July 2022
• Start Date: Jul 11, 2022
• End Date: Jul 12, 2022
• Deposit Date: Dec 26, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 11, 2023
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/10274537
• Related Public URLs: https://www.acpin.net/2022-conference/