Yoko Inamoto SLHT, MSc, Hitoshi Kagaya MD, DMSc, Eiichi Saitoh MD, DMSc, Daisuke
Kanamori DDS, DMSc, Seiko Shibata MD, DMSc, Naoko Fujii MD, DMSc, Kazuhiro Katada
MD, DMSc, Jeffrey B. Palmer, MD
Jpn J Compr Rehabil Sci 3: 59-65, 2012
Objective: The purpose of this study was to
examine the inter-rater reliability and intra-subject
reproducibility of 320-row area detector computed
tomography (320-ADCT) for the evaluation of
swallowing kinematics.
Methods: Eleven healthy volunteers were each
instructed to sit on a reclining chair set at a 45 angle,
hold a 10-ml portion of honey-thick liquid in the
mouth, and swallow it when cued by the examiner.
Scanning was performed for 3.15 s using a 320-ADCT
device. Images were reconstructed at an interval of
0.1 s. Two raters measured the timing of each
swallowing event, and inter-class correlation
coeffi cient (ICC) analysis was performed to examine
the inter-rater reliability. One week later, the same trial
was repeated for each volunteer, and the ICC was
obtained to analyze the intra-subject reproducibility.
Results: Average inter-rater ICC was 0.98, showing
ealmost perfectf concordance. There were no
differences among measured items and volunteers.
Average intra-subject ICC was 0.75, indicating
emoderatef concordance of swallowing kinematics
between two swallows.
Conclusion: Given the high inter-rater reliability and
intra-subject reproducibility, 320-ADCT is a reliable
tool for swallowing evaluation.
Key words: 320-ADCT, inter-rater reliability, intra-subject reproducibility, swallowing evaluation