Rationale and Objectives
There is no universally accepted standard technique for measuring the scapholunate
interval and no specific sources of measurement error have been identified. We aimed
to establish a set of normal radiological criteria for the scapholunate interval that
could be used in comparative studies of wrist pathology to determine interobserver
reliability and to identify potential errors that might influence measurements.
Materials and Methods
A total of 60 healthy volunteers participated in the study. Scapholunate interval
was measured by three independent observers using X-ray, CT, and US in four positions,
including neutral, fist, radial and ulnar deviation. Inter-observer reliability was
tested using intraclass correlation coefficient. Generalizability theory was applied
to evaluate specific sources of measurement error related to participant, observer,
imaging modality and measurement position.
Results
In neutral position, the scapholunate interval measured by X-ray, CT, and US was 3.1
mm, 3.5 mm and 3.5 mm respectively. The interval remained constant during fist and
radial deviation but decreased during ulnar deviation. Correlation coefficients ranged
from 0.874 to 0.907 for X-ray, 0.773–0.881 for CT and 0.964–0.979 for US. In the generalizability
study, the participant x modality x position interaction accounted for the largest
proportion of total variance (29%).
Conclusion
X-ray, CT, and US are reliable modalities for measuring the scapholunate interval,
with US having the highest reliability. Participant and position factors may independently
contribute to measurement error. Therefore, standardized measurement positions are
recommended to obtain reliable measurement results.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: January 03, 2023
Accepted:
November 20,
2022
Received in revised form:
November 3,
2022
Received:
October 10,
2022
Publication stage
In Press Corrected ProofFootnotes
Funding Support: The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
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© 2022 The Association of University Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.