Document Detail


Inter- and intraobserver reliability of predefined diagnostic levels in high-resolution sonography of the carpal tunnel syndrome - a validation study on healthy volunteers.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  19847740     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
PURPOSE: High-resolution ultrasound is becoming increasingly important in the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Most studies define cut-off values of the cross-sectional area (CSA) of the median nerve in different locations. The individual range of nerve swelling, the size of the nerve, and its CSA are not addressed. The aim of the study is to define the intra- and interobserver reliability of diagnostic ultrasound using two different cross-sectional areas of the median nerve at the carpal tunnel in predefined locations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two observers using high-resolution ultrasound examined 50 wrists of healthy volunteers independently. The CSA of the median nerve was measured at the entrance of the carpal tunnel and 2 cm proximal to the palmar wrist crease. The height and width of the carpal tunnel were determined using anatomical landmarks. The intra- and interobserver reliability was determined using Cronbach's alpha. RESULTS: Depending on the observer, the mean width of the carpal tunnel ranged from 3.37 to 3.43 cm with the height ranging from 1.18 and 1.19 cm. The CSA of the nerve was measured with values of 8.43 and 9.05 mm (2) on the pisiform level and 9.37 and 9.68 mm (2) on the proximal level. Cronbach's alpha ranged from 0.754 to 0.940 for the interobserver reliability and from 0.924 to 0.996 for the intraobserver reliability. CONCLUSION: To use high-resolution ultrasound for the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome, the reproducibility of this method has to be evaluated. Our study confirms examiner-independent reproducibility of two predefined diagnostic cross-sectional areas resulting in good alpha values.
Authors:
S Kluge; J Kreutziger; B Hennecke; E Vögelin
Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article     Date:  2009-10-21
Journal Detail:
Title:  Ultraschall in der Medizin (Stuttgart, Germany : 1980)     Volume:  31     ISSN:  1438-8782     ISO Abbreviation:  Ultraschall Med     Publication Date:  2010 Feb 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2010-02-16     Completed Date:  2010-09-30     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  8303585     Medline TA:  Ultraschall Med     Country:  Germany    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng; ger     Pagination:  43-7     Citation Subset:  IM    
Copyright Information:
Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart New York.
Affiliation:
Department of Plastic and Hand Surgery, University of Bern, Inselspital, Switzerland. sebastian.kluge@gmx.ch
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Adult
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome / ultrasonography*
Female
Humans
Image Enhancement / methods*
Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / methods*
Male
Median Nerve / ultrasonography
Observer Variation
Organ Size
Reference Values
Reproducibility of Results
Ultrasonography / methods*

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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