Observer reliability assessing ‘threshold levels’ in color Doppler imaging of vibration of the sacroiliac joint video clips

Abstract

The concept of sacroiliac joint (SIJ) motion dysfunction is an area of contention in manual therapy. Manual methods of assessing the SIJ have been constrained by poor reliability and a lack of an agreed ‘gold standard’. Doppler Imaging of Vibration has been proposed as one alternative method of evaluating SIJ motion. The aim of this thesis was to determine the intra-rater and inter-rater reliability of a group of observers scoring ‘Threshold Levels’ using pre-recorded video clips of Doppler Imaging of vibration (DIV) of the SIJ. 12 observers of varied clinical experience ranked 12 repeated and randomly assorted DIV clips. Intra-observer reliability ranged from ‘moderate’ to ‘very high’. Inter-observer reliability was ‘very high’ indicating that observers can reliably assess ‘Threshold Levels’ for DIV of the SIJ in pre-recorded video clips. The present study demonstrates that observers can make reliable judgments regarding Threshold Levels of DIV of the SIJ using video clips. Further research is required to establish the validity of the technique, including work demonstrating correlation with alternative measures of SIJ laxity/stiffness.