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Intra‐ and Interobserver Reliability of Size Measurement of Morton Neuromas on Sonography
Author(s) -
Park Young Hwan,
Choi Won Seok,
Choi Gi Won,
Kim Hak Jun
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of ultrasound in medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.574
H-Index - 91
eISSN - 1550-9613
pISSN - 0278-4297
DOI - 10.1002/jum.14928
Subject(s) - intraclass correlation , medicine , reliability (semiconductor) , repeatability , limits of agreement , nuclear medicine , neuroma , observer (physics) , limit (mathematics) , radiology , surgery , statistics , psychometrics , mathematics , clinical psychology , power (physics) , physics , quantum mechanics , mathematical analysis
Objectives Sonography is often used for analysis of Morton neuromas, but the measurement reliability is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the intra‐ and interobserver reliability and precision of sonographic measurement of Morton neuromas. Methods Three observers with different levels of sonography experience (observer A, expert; observer B, intermediate; observer C, beginner) performed repeated measurements of the size of Morton's neuroma in 20 patients. Intraclass correlation coefficient and limit of agreement were used to evaluate reliability and measurement precision. Results The intraclass correlation coefficient for intraobserver reliability was 0.80, 0.71, and 0.43 (limit of agreement, 20%, 18%, and 47%) in observers A, B, and C, respectively. The intraclass correlation coefficient for interobserver reliability was 0.72, 0.38, and 0.38 (limit of agreement, 25%, 36%, and 35%) between observers A/B, A/C, and B/C, respectively. Conclusions The intra‐ and interobserver reliability values for sonographic measurement of Morton neuroma size were dependent on observer experience. Experienced observers had higher reliability, while observers who were less familiar with sonography showed moderate to low reliability.