Reliability of ultrasound to measure the distance between lumbar interspinous processes

Abstract

ObjectivesThis study aimed to determine the reliability of ultrasound to measure the distance between interspinous processes of the lumbar spine at the segmental level (i.e., L1–L2, L2–L3, L3–L4, and L4–L5). MethodsTen men with no history of orthopedic diseases or dysfunctions were included in this study. In total, 720 images of the lumbar spines of participants were analyzed (10 participants, 4 segments, 3 trials, 3 positions, 2 examiners). With participants in three different positions, images of each segment specifically focused on the distance between lumbar interspinous processes. Bland–Altman analysis (BAA) was used to determine intra- and inter-rater reliability. ResultsIntra-rater intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) values (1, 1) were found to range from 0.840 to 0.988, whereas inter-rater ICC values (2, 1) ranged from 0.605 to 0.876. BAA results confirmed a fixed bias regarding the L4–L5 of the lumbar spine segment in the flexion position. ConclusionsInter-rater reliability decreased throughout this study; however, results showed that using ultrasound to measure the distance between lumbar segmental interspinous processes could be applied in clinical settings to evaluate lumbar segmental mobility.