Abstract
Aims: Extrinsic factors of subacromial impingement of the shoulder can be potentially characterised by the angle between the acromion and coracoacromial ligament. A retrospective study was designed to explore it. Patients and Methods: The landmarks and outcome measures were determined on sagittal cuts of default 1.5 T MRI scans. Two independent observers made the measurements on 50 annotated images of a cohort of healthy and young individuals. Results: The mean acromial-coracoacromial ligament (ACAL) angle was 129.8 degrees, (SD 10.0). The two independent and the repeated measurements were compared for testing inter- and intra-observer reliability. Measurement of ACAL showed high internal consistency and strong measurement agreement between observers (Cronbach’s alpha values: 0.88, 0.86 and 0.94; Intraclass correlation coefficient values: 0.78, 0.75, 0.88). However, a statistically significant difference (p=0.035) was found on the retest measurement (1 st to 2 nd ) of the same observer, despite the little difference (1 st to 3 rd p=0.78; 2 nd to 3 rd p=0.75) in inter-observer relation on paired sample t-test. Conclusions: The measuring error came from poor definition of the landmarks on standard 3 mm slice thickness MRI scans. Altered scanning sequences with thinner slices might provide more details of the structures, improve reliability, and prove to be a clinically useful measure in a future prospective study.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
