Inter-rater reliability between two examiners with different professional roles in the evaluation of fat infiltration in the lumbar paraspinal muscles using magnetic resonance imaging.
Kenta Suzuki, Yuki Hasebe, Mitsuru Yamamoto and 2 others
PMID 34393369WHAT IT FOUND
A physiotherapist and a spinal surgeon agreed substantially when grading lumbar muscle fat infiltration on MRI.
The agreement was comparable to that seen among radiologists, suggesting the method is reliable for use in clinical teams.
Key findings
01The kappa coefficient for inter-rater reliability was 0.69, indicating substantial agreement between the physiotherapist and the spinal surgeon.
02The study analyzed MRI scans from 225 patients who had undergone posterior lumbar spinal surgery for degenerative diseases.
03The physiotherapist had seven years of clinical experience, while the spinal surgeon had 21 years of experience as a medical doctor.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study population consisted of surgical patients, many of whom were elderly with highly degenerated lumbar spines, which may bias the results compared to a normal healthy population. The study used T2-weighted MRI images, whereas Kjaer’s criteria were originally developed for T1-weighted images, although previous reports suggest the sequences can be used interchangeably.
Declared interests
The authors declared no financial relationships to disclose and no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume this reliability applies to patients who have not undergone spinal surgery. The study only included surgical patients with degenerative lumbar diseases, so the agreement may not generalize to a healthy population or those with different conditions.