Abstract
Inamoto Y, Kagaya H, Saitoh E, Kanamori D, Shibata S, Fujii N, Katada K, Palmer J B. Inter-rater and intra-subject reliability for the evaluation of swallowing kinematics using 320-row area detector computed tomography. Jpn J Compr Rehabil Sci 2012; 3: 59-65.
Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the inter-rater reliability and intra-subject reproducibility of 320-row area detector computed tomography (320-ADCT) for the evaluation of swallowing kinematics.
Methods: Eleven healthy volunteers were each instructed to sit on a reclining chair set at a 45° angle, hold a 10-ml portion of honey-thick liquid in the mouth, and swallow it when cued by the examiner. Scanning was performed for 3.15 s using a 320-ADCT device. Images were reconstructed at an interval of 0.1s. Two raters measured the timing of each swallowing event, and inter-class correlation coefficient (ICC) analysis was performed to examine the inter-rater reliability. One week later, the same trial was repeated for each volunteer, and the ICC was obtained to analyze the intra-subject reproducibility.
Results: Average inter-rater ICC was 0.98, showing ‘almost perfect’ concordance. There were no differences among measured items and volunteers. Average intra-subject ICC was 0.75, indicating ‘moderate’ concordance of swallowing kinematics between two swallows.
Conclusion: Given the high inter-rater reliability and intra-subject reproducibility, 320-ADCT is a reliable tool for swallowing evaluation.
