Test-retest reliability and the minimal detectable change for Achilles tendon length: A panoramic ultrasound assessment

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology

Volume

39

Issue

12

Publisher

Elsevier

Publication Date

12-1-2013

First Page

2488

Last Page

2491

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to examine test-retest reliability and minimal detectable change (MDC) values for Achilles tendon (AT) length determined using panoramic ultrasound (US) imaging. Seventeen men (age = 21.0 ± 2.3 y) visited the laboratory on two separate days, where AT length was examined along the mid-longitudinal axis of the right lower leg with a portable B-mode panoramic US device. These measures were found to have acceptable reliability with intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and standard error of measurement (SEM) values of 0.954 and 4.43 mm (SEM% of the mean = 2.37%), respectively. In addition, the MDC for the panoramic US assessment of AT length was 12.27 mm (MDC% of the mean = 6.57%). These findings suggest that panoramic US imaging is a reliable technique for detection of clinically relevant changes in AT length and may therefore be a practical and time-efficient clinical tool for future studies examining AT length in vivo.

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