Accuracy and Reliability of X-ray Measurements in the Cervical Spine
- Author:
Catarina MARQUES
1
;
Emma GRANSTRÖM
;
Anna MACDOWALL
;
Nuno Canto MOREIRA
;
Martin SKEPPHOLM
;
Claes OLERUD
Author Information
- Publication Type:Clinical Study
- From:Asian Spine Journal 2020;14(2):169-176
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:0
-
Abstract:
Methods:We evaluated 758 lateral cervical radiographs. One medical student and one spine surgeon (i.e., measured ×2 within 4 weeks) independently measured the parameters obtaining 5,850 values. Standard error of measurement (SEm) and minimum detectable change (MDC) were calculated for each parameter. The accuracy and reliability of the Cobb angle measurements were calculated for the different types of angles: cervical lordosis, prosthesis angle, segmental angle with two bone surfaces (SABB), and segmental angle with one bone and one metal surface. Reliability was determined with intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC).
Results:SEm was 1.8° and MDC was 5.0° for the Cobb angle, with an intraobserver/interobserver ICC of 0.958/0.886. All the different subtypes of Cobb angles had an ICC higher than 0.950, except SABB (intraobserver/interobserver ICC of 0.922/0.716). The most accurate and reliable measurement was for KLT.
Conclusions:This study provides normative data on SEm and MDC for Cobb angles, T1S, KLT, OCI, and cSVA in cervical lateral radiographs. Reliability was excellent for all parameters except SABB (e.g., good).
