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Poor reproducibility of compression elastography in the Achilles tendon: same day and consecutive day measurements

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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.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Sport and Exercise Science and Medicine (SESAME), University of Brighton, Carlisle Road, Eastbourne, BN20 7SN, UK

    Catherine Payne, Nick Webborn & Peter Watt

  2. Clinical Imaging Sciences Centre, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Falmer, BN1 9RR, UK

    Mara Cercignani

Authors
  1. Catherine Payne
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  2. Nick Webborn
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  4. Mara Cercignani
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Correspondence to Catherine Payne.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Payne, C., Webborn, N., Watt, P. et al. Poor reproducibility of compression elastography in the Achilles tendon: same day and consecutive day measurements. Skeletal Radiol 46, 889–895 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00256-017-2629-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00256-017-2629-2

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