Reliability of Real-time Ultrasound Imaging for the Assessment of Trunk Stabilizer Muscles: A Systematic Review of the Literature
Morteza Taghipour PT, MSc
Department of Physiotherapy, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Mohammad Ali Mohseni-Bandpei PT, PhD
Pediatric Neurorehabilitation Research Center, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran
University Institute of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan
Address correspondence to Mohammad Ali Mohseni-Bandpei, PT, PhD, Pediatric Neurorehabilitation Research Center, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Koodakyar Street, Student Blvd., P.O. Box: 1985713834, Tehran, Iran. E-mail: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorHamid Behtash MD
Department of Orthopedics, Hazrat e Rasoul Akram Hospital, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Search for more papers by this authorIraj Abdollahi PT, PhD
Department of Physiotherapy, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Search for more papers by this authorFatemeh Rajabzadeh PT, MSc
Department of Physiotherapy, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Search for more papers by this authorMohammad Reza Pourahmadi PT, MSc
Department of Physiotherapy, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Search for more papers by this authorMahnaz Emami PT, MSc
Department of Physiotherapy, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Search for more papers by this authorMorteza Taghipour PT, MSc
Department of Physiotherapy, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Mohammad Ali Mohseni-Bandpei PT, PhD
Pediatric Neurorehabilitation Research Center, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran
University Institute of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan
Address correspondence to Mohammad Ali Mohseni-Bandpei, PT, PhD, Pediatric Neurorehabilitation Research Center, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Koodakyar Street, Student Blvd., P.O. Box: 1985713834, Tehran, Iran. E-mail: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorHamid Behtash MD
Department of Orthopedics, Hazrat e Rasoul Akram Hospital, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Search for more papers by this authorIraj Abdollahi PT, PhD
Department of Physiotherapy, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Search for more papers by this authorFatemeh Rajabzadeh PT, MSc
Department of Physiotherapy, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Search for more papers by this authorMohammad Reza Pourahmadi PT, MSc
Department of Physiotherapy, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Search for more papers by this authorMahnaz Emami PT, MSc
Department of Physiotherapy, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
Rehabilitative ultrasound (US) imaging is one of the popular methods for investigating muscle morphologic characteristics and dimensions in recent years. The reliability of this method has been investigated in different studies. As studies have been performed with different designs and quality, reported values of rehabilitative US have a wide range. The objective of this study was to systematically review the literature conducted on the reliability of rehabilitative US imaging for the assessment of deep abdominal and lumbar trunk muscle dimensions. The PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Google Scholar, Science Direct, Embase, Physiotherapy Evidence, Ovid, and CINAHL databases were searched to identify original research articles conducted on the reliability of rehabilitative US imaging published from June 2007 to August 2017. The articles were qualitatively assessed; reliability data were extracted; and the methodological quality was evaluated by 2 independent reviewers. Of the 26 included studies, 16 were considered of high methodological quality. Except for 2 studies, all high-quality studies reported intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) for intra-rater reliability of 0.70 or greater. Also, ICCs reported for inter-rater reliability in high-quality studies were generally greater than 0.70. Among low-quality studies, reported ICCs ranged from 0.26 to 0.99 and 0.68 to 0.97 for intra- and inter-rater reliability, respectively. Also, the reported standard error of measurement and minimal detectable change for rehabilitative US were generally in an acceptable range. Generally, the results of the reviewed studies indicate that rehabilitative US imaging has good levels of both inter- and intra-rater reliability.
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