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Interobserver agreement in the assessment of muscle strength and functional abilities in Guillain‐Barré syndrome
Author(s) -
Kleyweg Ruud P.,
Van Der Meché Frans G. A.,
Schmitz Paul I. M.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
muscle and nerve
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.025
H-Index - 145
eISSN - 1097-4598
pISSN - 0148-639X
DOI - 10.1002/mus.880141111
Subject(s) - medicine , guillain barre syndrome , functional impairment , physical medicine and rehabilitation , physical therapy , pediatrics
In studies of Guillain‐Barré syndrome, functional deficit is usually assessed according to a functional scale consisting of several categories. The level of interobserver agreement in this scoring method is not known; furthermore, this method seems to be insensitive when applied to bedridden and artificially ventilated patients. We have developed an additional score (MRC‐sumscore), reflecting muscle strength in general. Both scoring methods, tested in Guillain‐Barré patients, have an almost perfect interobserver agreement. For the functional score k = 0.85, and for the MRC‐sumscore r 2 = 0.96. The MRC‐sumscore is easily assessed and more sensitive than the functional score when patients are bedridden or artificially ventilated.