Abstract
Purpose.
Anterior hyoid displacement is essential for efficient swallowing and is usually investigated with videofluoroscopy. Ultrasound offers a less expensive and noninvasive method of investigation. The present study investigated the viability of a novel method of quantifying hyoid displacement from sonograms using an anatomic reference point, through an evaluation of inter‐ and intra‐rater reliability.
Methods.
Three raters reviewed the sonographic video sweeps of five discrete swallows from each of five participants for inter‐rater reliability. The primary investigator measured each swallow on two occasions for intra‐rater reliability. Electronic calipers were used to measure distances from a “rest” frame prior to the swallow of interest and a “maximal displacement” frame, at which the hyoid bone was at maximal anterior displacement during each swallow.
Results.
Single‐measure intraclass correlation coefficient was high for inter‐rater agreement at 0.86 for rest measures and 0.86 for maximal displacement. Intra‐rater reliability was even higher at 0.95 for rest and 0.98 for maximal displacement.
Conclusions.
These preliminary results suggest that by using a novel analysis approach involving an anatomic reference point, raters can achieve high agreement on measurement of position of hyoid at maximal displacement relative to rest. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 40:74–78, 2012