Article

OBJECTIVES: (i) To determine the intra-rater reliability and precision of the
ultrasound cross-sectional area (CSA) measurements of the wrist extensors in
individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI), and (ii) to determine whether
tetraplegia has a negative influence on the reliability and precision for these
measurements. DESIGN: A repeated-measures cross-sectional study. SETTINGS:
Clinical hospital and academic settings. METHODS:
The study was conducted with 20
men with SCI (9 paraplegia and 11 tetraplegia) and 10 able-bodied controls.
Ultrasound images were captured of the right side extensor carpi radialis-longus
(ECRL) and the extensor digitorum communis (EDC) were captured in 2 sessions
separated by 48-72 hours. RESULTS: The intraclass correlation coefficients for
the CSA measurements of the ECRL and EDC muscles were greater than 0.87 for all 3
groups. The standard error of the measure (SEM) ranged from 0.11-0.22 cm(2) for
the ECRL and 0.13-0.27 cm(2) for the EDC. The minimal detectable change of ECL
ranged from 0.16 to 0.31 cm(2) and of EDC from 0.19 to 0.38 cm(2). The group
differences in muscle CSA of both muscles were found; these differences were
greater than the calculated minimal detectable changes. The intraclass
correlation coefficients were lower and the SEMs and minimal detectable changes
were higher for the group with tetraplegia compared with the able-bodied controls
and the group with paraplegia. CONCLUSIONS: This study documented substantial
intra-rater reliability of measurements of the ECRL and ECD CSA by using
ultrasound images, which support the use of this technique to effectively
evaluate the musculoskeletal changes after SCI and during rehabilitation.
Skeletal muscle atrophy in persons with tetraplegia might have a negative
influence on the reliability and precision of these CSA measurements; however,
these differences in reliability and precision are not of clinical significance.
CI - Copyright (c) 2014 American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS