Reliability of tendon excursion measurements in patients using a color Doppler imaging system

The purpose of this study was to assess the test-retest reliability of tendon excursion measurements with color Doppler imaging in patients with flexor tendon injuries following a modified Kleinert protocol. One observer performed repeated measurements at 3 different time periods in 13 patients with flexor tendon injuries, following a modified Kleinert protocol. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), the standard error of measurement (SEM), and related indices of measurement error were calculated. Measurements at 10 day after surgery had an ICC of .88 and an SEM of 1.1 mm. Measurements at 6 weeks after surgery had an ICC of .58 and an SEM of 2.0 mm. The measurements after 3 months had an ICC of .94 and an SEM of 1.2 mm. Measurements at 10 days and more than 3 months after surgery were reliable and were as reliable as the measurements performed on healthy subjects. At 6 weeks after surgery the measurements were less reliable. Color Doppler imaging is a reliable and noninvasive method to assess tendon excursion, even in patients with small tendon excursion movements.