Reliability of ultrasound to measure the distance between lumbar interspinous processes. (January 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Tozawa, Ryosuke; Katoh, Munenori; Kawasaki, Tsubasa; Aramaki, Hidefumi; Kumamoto, Tsuneo; Fujinawa, Osamu
• Is Part Of: Medical engineering & physics. Volume 99(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-01
• Subjects: Lumbar vertebrae -- Position -- Lumbosacral region -- Ultrasound imaging -- Reliability; Biomedical engineering -- Periodicals; Biomedical Engineering -- Periodicals; Physics -- Periodicals; Génie biomédical -- Périodiques; Biomedical engineering; Electronic journals; Periodicals; 610.28
• DOI: 10.1016/j.medengphy.2021.103740
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1350-4533

Abstract

Highlights: The distances between lumbar interspinous processes were measured by ultrasound. High intra-rater reliability was shown in distance at all segments. The ultrasound measurement may be available to clarify the segmental lumbar distance. Abstract: Objectives: This study aimed to determine the reliability of ultrasound to measure the distance between interspinous processes of the lumbar spine at the segmental level (i.e., L1–L2, L2–L3, L3–L4, and L4–L5). Methods: Ten men with no history of orthopedic diseases or dysfunctions were included in this study. In total, 720 images of the lumbar spines of participants were analyzed (10 participants, 4 segments, 3 trials, 3 positions, 2 examiners). With participants in three different positions, images of each segment specifically focused on the distance between lumbar interspinous processes. Bland–Altman analysis (BAA) was used to determine intra- and inter-rater reliability. Results: Intra-rater intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) values (1, 1) were found to range from 0.840 to 0.988, whereas inter-rater ICC values (2, 1) ranged from 0.605 to 0.876. BAA results confirmed a fixed bias regarding the L4–L5 of the lumbar spine segment in the flexion position. Conclusions: Inter-rater reliability decreased throughout this study; however, results showed that using ultrasound to measure the distance between lumbar segmental interspinous processes could be applied in clinical settings to evaluate lumbar segmental mobility.