Ultrasound Strain Elastography Reliability in the Assessment of the Plantar Fascia and Its Relationship with the Plantar Thickness in Healthy Adults: An Intra and Interobserver Reliability Study in Novice Evaluators

This study was aimed at verifying both the intraobserver and interobserver reliability of measuring plantar fascia stiffness for a given image in healthy active adults. This study is reported following the Guidelines of Reporting Reliability and Agreement Studies. A total of 20 plantar fascia from h...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biomedicines 2023-07, Vol.11 (7), p.2040
Main Authors: Aguilar-Nuñez, Daniel, Cervera-Garvi, Pablo, Aguilar-Garcia, Maria, Cuevas-Cervera, Maria, Gonzalez-Muñoz, Ana, Navarro-Ledesma, Santiago
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adults
Calcaneus
Connective tissue
Fascia
Injuries
interobserver
intraobserver
Mechanical properties
Musculoskeletal diseases
plantar fascia
reliability
sonoelastography
Ultrasonic imaging
Ultrasound
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Summary:This study was aimed at verifying both the intraobserver and interobserver reliability of measuring plantar fascia stiffness for a given image in healthy active adults. This study is reported following the Guidelines of Reporting Reliability and Agreement Studies. A total of 20 plantar fascia from healthy volunteers were analyzed. The thickness of the plantar fascia was measured vertically from the anterior edge of the inferior calcaneal border to the inferior border of the plantar fascia and the ultrasound elastography measurement was taken at the calcaneal insertion of the plantar fascia with the region of interest one centimeter away from the insertion. The ultrasound strain elastography measurements: the right intraobserver 1 showed an ICC value of 0.9 and the left intraobserver 1 showed an ICC value of 0.78, while the right intraobserver 2 showed an ICC value of 0.91 and the left intraobserver 2 showed an ICC value of 0.83. Interobserver measurements showed excellent reliability with a right ICC value of 0.8 and a left ICC value of 0.9 for the plantar fascia thickness measurements. The results of this study showed a strong correlation between left and right plantar fascia thickness. The intraobserver reliability was excellent for both plantar fascia ultrasound strain elastography and thickness measurements, with interobserver measurements showing excellent reliability.
ISSN:2227-9059
2227-9059
DOI:10.3390/biomedicines11072040