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Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2021; 11(3); 795; doi: 10.3390/ani11030795

Strain Elastography of Injured Equine Superficial Digital Flexor Tendons: A Reliability Study of Manual Measurements.

Abstract: Early diagnosis of tendon injuries and accurate long-term monitoring of the healing process are key for equine veterinarians that use conventional ultrasonography. The development of strain elastography could improve the management of clinical cases. The aim of the study was to assess the intraobserver repeatability and interobserver reproducibility of manual measurements of the colored areas of the tendons within elastograms and to standardize this manual modality by comparing the analysis of the images with ImageJ. Twenty elastograms of the injured superficial digital flexor tendons (SDFTs) of horses were analyzed by two different operators after an acute injury was diagnosed with ultrasonography. Statistical analysis demonstrated excellent intraobserver repeatability (intraclass correlation coefficient, ICC = 0.949) and good interobserver reproducibility (ICC = 0.855) for manual measurements performed with tools available on the ultrasound unit. A good agreement between manual measurements and measurements performed with ImageJ (ICC = 0.849) was then demonstrated. Despite its subjectivity, the manual modality proved to be a valid method for analyzing images obtained with strain elastography.
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Publication Date: 2021-03-12 PubMed ID: 33809249PubMed Central: PMC8001570DOI: 10.3390/ani11030795Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research article discusses a study that assessed the effectiveness of manual measurements in strain elastography in diagnosing and monitoring the healing process of injured equine superficial digital flexor tendons. The manual measurements proved to be reliable and in good agreement with another method, ImageJ.

Objective of the Research

  • The main aim of the study was to evaluate the repeatability and reliability of manual measurements of colored areas of tendons within elastograms, a type of image produced in strain elastography.
  • The study aimed to improve and standardize this manual mode, comparing its effectiveness with that of ImageJ, a public domain Java image processing program.

Methodology

  • The study was carried out by diagnosing acute injuries in the superficial digital flexor tendons (SDFTs) of horses using ultrasonography.
  • Two different operators then analysed twenty elastograms of the injured SDFTs.
  • The effectiveness and reliability of the manual measurements were then evaluated statistically.

Key Findings

  • The results showed an excellent intraobserver repeatability, with an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.949. This means that the same observer making the manual measurements consistently delivered similar results.
  • There was also a good degree of interobserver reproducibility, an ICC of 0.855, indicating consistent results were obtained between the two operators conducting the measurements.
  • The comparison of manual measurements and measurements performed with ImageJ demonstrated a good agreement, with an ICC of 0.849, showing that the manual measurements are as accurate as those carried out using ImageJ.

Conclusion

  • Despite the perceived subjectivity of manual measurements in strain elastography, the study confirmed that this method was a reliable way to analyze images obtained with strain elastography for diagnosing and monitoring the healing of injured SDFTs in horses.
  • The good agreement with an established imaging processing program ImageJ, further supports the validity of this approach.

Cite This Article

APA
Secchi V, Masala G, Corda A, Corda F, Potop E, Barbero Fernandez A, Pinna Parpaglia ML, Sanna Passino E. (2021). Strain Elastography of Injured Equine Superficial Digital Flexor Tendons: A Reliability Study of Manual Measurements. Animals (Basel), 11(3), 795. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11030795

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 11
Issue: 3
PII: 795

Researcher Affiliations

Secchi, Valentina
  • Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy.
  • Veterinary Teaching Hospital, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy.
Masala, Gerolamo
  • Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy.
  • Veterinary Teaching Hospital, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy.
  • Comparative Surgery Research Laboratory, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy.
Corda, Andrea
  • Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy.
  • Veterinary Teaching Hospital, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy.
Corda, Francesca
  • Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy.
  • Veterinary Teaching Hospital, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy.
Potop, Enrica
  • Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy.
Barbero Fernandez, Alicia
  • Department of Veterinary Medicine, University Alfonso X el Sabio, 28691 Villanueva de la Cañada, Madrid, Spain.
Pinna Parpaglia, Maria Luisa
  • Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy.
  • Veterinary Teaching Hospital, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy.
Sanna Passino, Eraldo
  • Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy.
  • Veterinary Teaching Hospital, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy.
  • Comparative Surgery Research Laboratory, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 2 times.
  1. Guerri G, Palozzo A, Straticò P, Varasano V, Celani G, Di Francesco P, Vignoli M, Petrizzi L. 2D-SWE of the Metacarpophalangeal Joint Capsule in Horses. Vet Sci 2022 Sep 4;9(9).
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  2. Sutthigran S, Saisawart P, Soeratanapant S, Teewasutrakul P, Sirivisoot S, Thanaboonnipat C, Rungsipipat A, Choisunirachon N. Post-Chemotherapy Canine Lymphomatous Lymph Node Observations on B-Mode and Strain Elastographic Ultrasound. Vet Sci 2024 Aug 4;11(8).
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