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Results for “The Right to Reproduce”

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PubMed2006

In vitro validation of right ventricular volume and mass measurement by real-time three-dimensional echocardiography.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate initially the feasibility and accuracy of real-time three-dimensional echocardiography (RT-3DE) for quantifying right ventricular (RV) volume and wall mass in an in vitro experimental study. METHODS: In ten excised porcine hearts, measurements of RV volume and free wall mass with RT-3DE were outlined and calculated by 2-, 4-, 8- and 16-plane methods with Tom Tec 4D Cardio-View RT 1.0. The results were compared with those of 2D length method and 2D biplane Simpson method. The values of RV silicone latex cast and free wall mass measured by water displacement were served as reference values. RESULTS: RV shapes of excised porcine hearts with RT-3DE were similar to those of the actual anatomic RVs and RV silicone latex casts. From the findings of analysis of variance and Student-Newman-Keuls test, there was no significant difference between measurements of RV volume with RT-3DE 16-plane (mean 64.05 ml), 8-plane (61.83 ml) and the reference values of RV silicone latex casts (62.94 ml). No significant difference was found between measurements of RV free wall mass with 16-plane (72.81 g), 8-plane (71.05 g) and the reference values of RV free wall masses (76.21 g). However, there was significant difference between measurements of RV volume and free wall mass with 2-plane, 2D biplane Simpson method and the reference values. Furthermore, the measurements of RV volume and free wall mass with 16-plane and 8-plane were better correlated with the reference values than those with 4-plane and 2D length method. CONCLUSIONS: RT-3DE will be a valuable technique for quantifying irregular crescentic RV volume and wall mass.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed1982

Exercise provocable right ventricular outflow tract tachycardia.

During the past 5 years, we have seen six patients who met inclusion criteria of exertional palpitations, reproducible treadmill (TM) provocable ventricular tachycardia (VT), and performance of electrophysiologic (EP) studies including isoproterenol (ISO) infusion. There were five males and one female, aged 15 to 55 years (mean +/- SD, 31 +/- 18 years). Three patients were trained athletes, two patients had mitral valve prolapse, three had enlarged right ventricular (RV) volumes (all trained athletes), and two had no evidence of organic heart disease. TM testing in all patients demonstrated reproducible exercise-provocable VT of at least 20 beats' duration. TM VT was characterized by left bundle branch block pattern ORS morphology and rates of 150 to 230 bpm (186 +/- 30 bpm). EP did not reproduce VT in five of six patients while ISO at a dose of 2 to 4 micrograms/min (2.5 +/- 0.8 micrograms/min) reproduced VT in all patients. ISO VT was characterized by QRS morphology identical to TM VT and rates of 165 to 230 bpm (191 +/- 26 bpm). Endocardial mapping of ISO VT revealed earliest activity in RV outflow tract. Serial TM testing revealed suppression of TM VT in all six patients on propranolol therapy. Responses to class I drugs were variable and less successful. In summary, we describe a group of patients with common clinical, ECG, and electrophysiologic features who may share a common pathophysiology of VT. Possible mechanisms are discussed.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1995

Application of a cervical stimulating apparatus for bilateral transcutaneous phrenic nerve stimulation.

Transcutaneous bilateral phrenic nerve stimulation (tPNS) is frequently used to assess diaphragmatic function in humans. Commonly, stimulation is performed with hand-held electrodes; however, these are unsuitable for studies requiring repeated PNS and where recruitment of rib cage and neck muscles may shift the probes in relation to the nerves. In this study we describe the design of a cervical neck brace and electrode probes that maintain stimulating electrodes in constant position relative to the phrenic nerves and facilitates studies requiring repeated maximal PNS. The effectiveness of the apparatus was examined by 1) reviewing the reproducibility of the transdiaphragmatic pressure response to 0.1 ms tPNS (PdiT) at relaxed functional residual capacity in four subjects studied on 25 +/- 8 (SD) occasions (> or = 24 h apart) over a 4-yr period, and 2) measuring peak-to-peak amplitude of the left and right diaphragmatic compound muscle action potentials (surface electrodes) during two prolonged studies (38 +/- 9 min) in each subject, when tPNS was performed during repeated submaximal and maximal inspiratory efforts. PdiT was reproducible in each subject when measured repeatedly within a single study [coefficient of variation (CV) of 3.8 +/- 0.8%] and over separate days (CV of 11.5 +/- 3.5%). The peak-to-peak amplitudes of the left and right compound muscle action potentials were also reproducible (CV of 8.4 +/- 4.3 and 8.4 +/- 2.9%, respectively) and independent of the degree of effort. The apparatus appears effective for the maintenance of maximal stimulation under varied conditions for long periods and provides reproducible measurements of PdiT both within and between studies.

Action Potentials↗

PubMed1998

Ultrasonographic assessment of bladder neck mobility in continent bitches and bitches with urinary incontinence attributable to urethral sphincter mechanism incompetence.

OBJECTIVE: To determine bladder neck positional changes between standing and recumbent positions in bitches and whether change is related to continence status or general anesthesia, or both, and to evaluate reproducibility of measurements. ANIMALS: 45 continent animals and 46 incontinent bitches with urethral sphincter mechanism incompetence (SMI). PROCEDURE: Distance between the bladder neck and perineal skin was measured ultrasonographically via the perineum while each dog was conscious in standing and right lateral recumbency and in right lateral recumbency under general anesthesia. Measurements of the bladder neck position obtained in right lateral recumbency under anesthesia were compared with radiographic measurements of the same parameter. Reproducibility of the ultrasonographic measurements of the distance between bladder neck and perineum was assessed on 3 occasions for each position in 50 dogs. RESULTS: In all dogs, differences in bladder neck position between standing and recumbent conscious-associated positions were not significant. However, caudal bladder neck movement between standing conscious- and recumbent anesthesia-associated positions and between recumbent conscious- and anesthesia-associated positions was significant for all dogs. Incontinent bitches had greater degree of caudal bladder movement during anesthesia. Mean difference in bladder neck positions between recumbent conscious- and recumbent anesthesia-associated positions was 0.24 cm in continent, compared with 0.73 cm in incontinent, bitches. Radiographic measurements were significantly greater than ultrasonographic measurements. Differences between repeated measurements for standing position were not significant, but those for recumbent conscious- and recumbent anesthesia-associated positions were significant. CONCLUSIONS: Additional vesicourethral support mechanisms in continent dogs, are deficient in bitches with SMI, allowing the bladder neck to move further caudad.

Animals↗

PubMed1998

Estimation of the right ventricular volume and ejection fraction by transthoracic three-dimensional echocardiography. A validation study using magnetic resonance imaging.

AIMS: To validate the use of three-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography compared with the magnetic resonance imaging for determination of right ventricular volume and ejection fraction. METHODS AND RESULTS: We recorded transthoracic echocardiographic images starting from the apical four-chamber view in which the RV is clearly visualized in 15 healthy volunteers. The scanning plane of the RV was obtained by the rotational scanning technique in 2 degree angular increments for three-dimensional reconstruction. The RV volumes in end-diastole and end-systole were calculated using a Tomtec three-dimensional reconstruction computer. We also assessed the RV by cine magnetic resonance imaging using the Siemens Magnetom Impact Expert (1.0 T). Cine gradient echo images were obtained in the short axis of the RV. The RV volume at each phase was calculated by Simpson's method. We also calculated the RV ejection fraction. The RV volumes in end-diastole and end-systole were 111 +/- 22 ml and 52 +/- 13 ml, respectively as determined by three-dimensional echo, and 115 +/- 18 ml and 55 +/- 14 ml determined by MRI. The right ventricular volumes at end-diastole and end-systole determined by three-dimensional echo were correlated with the volumes determined by MRI (r = 0.94 and 0.97, respectively, p < 0.001). The RV ejection fraction determined by three dimensional echo was also correlated with the ejection fraction determined by MRI (r = 0.90, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Three-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography provided reliable calculations of the right ventricular volume and ejection fraction.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Anatomic stereotactic catheter ablation on three-dimensional magnetic resonance images in real time.

BACKGROUND: Targets for radiofrequency (RF) ablation of atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, and nonidiopathic ventricular tachycardia are increasingly being selected on the basis of anatomic considerations. Because fluoroscopy provides only limited information about the relationship between catheter positions and cardiac structures and is associated with radiation risk, other approaches to mapping may be beneficial. METHODS AND RESULTS: An electromagnetic catheter positioning system was superimposed on 3D MR images using fiducial markers. This allowed the dynamic display of the catheter position on the true anatomy of previously acquired MR images in real time. In vitro accuracy and precision during catheter navigation were assessed in a phantom model and were 1.11+/-0.06 and 0.30+/-0.07 mm (mean+/-SEM), respectively. Left and right heart catheterization was performed in 7 swine without the use of fluoroscopy, yielding an in vivo accuracy and precision of 2.74+/-0.52 and 1.97+/-0.44 mm, respectively. To assess the reproducibility of RF ablation, RF lesions were created repeatedly at the identical anatomic site in the right atrium (n=8 swine). Average distance of the repeated right atrial ablations was 3.92+/-0.5 mm. Straight 3-point lines were created in the right and left ventricles to determine the ability to facilitate complex ablation procedures (n=6 swine). The ventricular lesions deviated 1.70+/-0.24 mm from a straight line, and the point distance differed by 2.25+/-0.63 mm from the pathological specimen. CONCLUSIONS: Real-time display of the catheter position on 3D MRI allows accurate and precise RF ablation guided by the true anatomy. This may facilitate anatomically based ablation procedures in, for instance, atrial fibrillation or nonidiopathic ventricular tachycardia and decrease radiation times.

Animals↗

PubMed2000

Superior vena cava flow in newborn infants: a novel marker of systemic blood flow.

BACKGROUND: Ventricular outputs cannot be used to assess systemic blood flow in preterm infants because they are confounded by shunts through the ductus arteriosus and atrial septum. However, flow measurements in the superior vena cava (SVC) can assess blood returning from the upper body and brain. OBJECTIVES: To describe a Doppler echocardiographic technique that measures blood flow in the SVC, to test its reproducibility, and to establish normal ranges. DESIGN: SVC flow was assessed together with right ventricular output and atrial or ductal shunting. Normal range was established in 14 infants born after 36 weeks' gestation (2 measurements taken in the first 48 hours) and 25 uncomplicated infants born before 30 weeks (4 measurements taken in the first 48 hours). Intra-observer and interobserver variability were tested in 20 preterm infants. RESULTS: In 14 infants born after 36 weeks, median SVC flow rose from 76 ml/kg/min on day 1 to 93 ml/kg/min on day 2; in 25 uncomplicated very preterm infants, it rose from 62 ml/kg/min at 5 hours to 86 ml/kg/min at 48 hours. The lowest SVC flow for the preterm babies rose from 30 ml/kg/min at 5 hours to 46 ml/kg/min by 48 hours. Median intra-observer and interobserver variability were 8. 1% and 14%, respectively. In preterm babies with a closed duct, SVC flow was a mean of 37% of left ventricular output and the two measures correlated significantly. CONCLUSIONS: This technique can assess blood flow from the upper body, including the brain, in the crucial early postnatal period, and might allow more accurate assessment of the status of systemic blood flow and response to treatment.

Blood Flow Velocity↗

PubMed2001

How echogenic is echogenic? Quantitative acoustics of the renal cortex.

The echogenicity of the cortex is an important parameter in interpreting renal sonograms that suggest changes in cortical structure. Echogenicity is currently measured qualitatively, and no attempts have been made at quantification. We developed a method to quantify renal cortical echogenicity in reference to the liver and evaluated its reproducibility, dependence on scanning variables, and potential utility. Sonograms of the right kidney were digitized, and the mean pixel density of regions of the renal cortex and liver was measured and normalized to the gray scale. Echogenicity was expressed as the ratio of the brightness (inverse of mean pixel density) of the cortex to that of the liver. The mean coefficient of variation among measurements performed on multiple sonograms from the same study was 2.8%, and the coefficient of variation among multiple measurements performed on the same kidney over 1 year was 1.8%. The correlation between measurements obtained by two different individuals on identical images was 0.92, with a mean variation of 3.0%. Echogenicity was not significantly affected by type of scanner or probe frequency, but varied inversely with gain. However, the effect of gain was very small within the useful range. Water loading after an overnight fast increased echogenicity in all cases, with a mean increase of 6.4%. Echogenicity of normal kidneys was significantly less than that of the liver (range, 0.810 to 0.987), and in clinical sonograms analyzed retrospectively but blindly, echogenicity correlated with the qualitative gradations of echogenicity originally assigned. The most echogenic kidneys were 62% brighter than normal kidneys, many times greater than the variability of the measurement. We conclude that quantification of renal cortical echogenicity is feasible and reproducible and may be useful in detecting and following renal disease. Echogenicity of the renal cortex is less than that of the liver in healthy subjects and is influenced by the state of diuresis.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Imbalances in regional lung ventilation: a validation study on electrical impedance tomography.

Imbalances in regional lung ventilation, with gravity-dependent collapse and overdistention of nondependent zones, are likely associated to ventilator-induced lung injury. Electric impedance tomography is a new imaging technique that is potentially capable of monitoring those imbalances. The aim of this study was to validate electrical impedance tomography measurements of ventilation distribution, by comparison with dynamic computerized tomography in a heterogeneous population of critically ill patients under mechanical ventilation. Multiple scans with both devices were collected during slow-inflation breaths. Six repeated breaths were monitored by impedance tomography, showing acceptable reproducibility. We observed acceptable agreement between both technologies in detecting right-left ventilation imbalances (bias = 0% and limits of agreement = -10 to +10%). Relative distribution of ventilation into regions or layers representing one-fourth of the thoracic section could also be assessed with good precision. Depending on electrode positioning, impedance tomography slightly overestimated ventilation imbalances along gravitational axis. Ventilation was gravitationally dependent in all patients, with some transient blockages in dependent regions synchronously detected by both scanning techniques. Among variables derived from computerized tomography, changes in absolute air content best explained the integral of impedance changes inside regions of interest (r(2) > or = 0.92). Impedance tomography can reliably assess ventilation distribution during mechanical ventilation.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

HIV/AIDS and children's rights.

Today, the majority of all new HIV infections occur among children and young people under 25 years of age, the people who were born and who have grown up during the AIDS epidemic. The epidemic is straining resources in already impoverished communities and creating new obstacles to the realization of children's rights to survival, development, and protection. The failure to ensure children's rights creates opportunities for HIV infection; at the same time, HIV/AIDS creates opportunities for the violation of children's rights. Advances in the realization of children's rights, including the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), are necessary to stem the growth of the AIDS epidemic. We reproduce a fact sheet produced by the Interagency Coalition on AIDS and Development (ICAD) that summarizes available information on HIV/AIDS and children, and discusses the effect of HIV/AIDS on children's rights. The fact sheet also provides information about other, essential resources on HIV/AIDS and children.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Renal mobility during uncoached quiet respiration: an analysis of 4DCT scans.

PURPOSE: Data on organ mobility is required for optimizing radiotherapy. Renal mobility was studied in four-dimensional computed tomography (4DCT) scans acquired during uncoached respiration. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The 4DCT scans of 54 patients, in whom at least the upper pole of both kidneys were visualized in all 10 respiratory phases, were analyzed. Scans were performed on a 16-slice CT scanner (slice index and reconstruction, 2.5 mm) during quiet, uncoached respiration. Mobility of the renal apex was evaluated in all patients by use of the z-position on CT slices. Reproducibility of mobility was studied in 8 patients who underwent 1 or 2 repeat 4DCT scans. RESULTS: Mobility was predominantly craniocaudal, with a mean of 9.8 mm for the left kidney and 9.0 mm for the right kidney. Large interpatient variations were observed that ranged from 2.5 to 30 mm (left) and 2.5 to 20 mm (right), and mobility of 1 kidney did not predict for mobility of the contralateral organ. Reproducibility of renal mobility and position at end-expiration was poor, with positional variations in repeat scans appearing to correlate with changes in the amplitude of respiratory waveform and total lung volume. CONCLUSIONS: Large interpatient variations in renal movement occur during uncoached respiration, which indicates that respiratory coaching is useful for 4DCT imaging and treatment delivery.

Abdominal Neoplasms↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Reproducibility of acoustic rhinometry and rhinomanometry in normal subjects.

The reproducibility of nasal patency measurements was assessed by acoustic rhinometry and active rhinomanometry using previously described Toronto methodologies. Six subjects with normal upper airways were tested with both procedures on six separate occasions within a 2-month period. Topical decongestant was applied to minimize the effects of mucosal variation on the nasal airway. The mean coefficients of variation (mean +/- s.d; %) over time of the measurements were 8.1 +/- 4.1 and 9.7 +/- 5.2 for minimal unilateral cross-sectional area and 4.8 +/- 1.8 and 5.5 +/- 3.5 for nasal volume (0-5 cm) of the right and left sides, respectively. For active rhinomanometry, the mean coefficients of variation (mean +/- s.d.; %) over time of the measurements were 15.9 +/- 7.3, 12.9 +/- 4.6, and 8.5 +/- 2.8 for right, left and combined nasal airflow resistance. The intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.76, 0.70, and 0.96 for right, left, and combined nasal resistance, 0.91 and 0.87 for right and left minimal cross sectional area, and 0.86 and 0.69 for right and left nasal volumes, respectively, also confirming a high level of reproducibility for both methods. In conclusion, performed by an experienced operator under controlled circumstances, the reproducibility of both methods of nasal patency assessment compared favorably with many widely accepted clinical tests.

Acoustics↗

PubMed1985

Are drawing errors different in right-sided and left-sided constructional apraxics?

The drawings of 70 control subjects, 95 right and 118 left brain-damaged patients (BDP) were evaluated by two independent judges having no knowledge of the literature on constructional apraxia, who were requested to give both a quantitative and a qualitative evaluation of each drawing. Scoring made it possible to classify the BDP as affected or not affected by constructional apraxia. Qualitative errors were classified in two groups: (A) "executive" errors: increased number of right angles, structural simplification of the models and omission of details and (B) "visualspatial" errors: inattention to lateral elements or omission of one half of the figures, errors in spatial relations and diagonal orientation of the drawings. Contrary to expectations, no clear qualitative difference was observed between the drawing errors of right and left BDP. The types of errors most frequently observed in constructional apraxics were very similar, irrespective of lesion side, and consisted in difficulty in reproducing the spatial relations between the various parts of the models and in a tendency to oversimplify the most difficult designs. The only type of error which differentiated right apraxics from left apraxics was omission of lines or of whole figures on the half space contralateral to the damaged hemisphere, but this type of error could not be responsible for right-sided constructional apraxia, since judges had been instructed to base their assessment only on the parts of the models actually reproduced by the patients without scoring as errors manifestations of neglect. These results do not support the hypothesis that two different mechanisms, "executive", and "visual-spatial", underlie constructive disabilities of left and right brain-damaged patients.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Programmed electrical stimulation in Brugada syndrome: how reproducible are the results?

INTRODUCTION: Inducibility of ventricular arrhythmias at programmed electrical stimulation (PES) ranges between 50% and 80% of patients with Brugada syndrome. However, the variety of PES protocols and the lack of data relative to a control group or to ventricular arrhythmia reproducibility contribute to a still undefined interpretation of PES outcome in Brugada syndrome. METHODS AND RESULTS: Twenty-one patients with Brugada syndrome (18 men and 3 women; mean age 34 years; 9/21 symptomatic; 8/21 with SCN5A gene mutation) underwent a PES protocol from two right ventricular sites. The endpoint was PES protocol completion or induction of sustained or reproducible (>6 consecutive inductions) nonsustained (>6 beats) fast ventricular arrhythmia. In 17 of 21 patients with Brugada syndrome, PES was repeated 2 months later to test ventricular arrhythmia reproducibility. Twenty-five healthy patients (17 men; mean age 36 years) formed the control group. In patients with Brugada syndrome, ventricular arrhythmia inducibility rate at PES was high (18/21 patients [85%]) and increased with protocol aggressiveness, independent of clinical presentation. In control subjects, no ventricular arrhythmias were induced. Among patients with Brugada syndrome, 14 (82%) of 17 patients remained inducible at a second PES. CONCLUSION: In our experience, ventricular arrhythmia inducibility in patients with Brugada syndrome, at variance with healthy controls, is high and does not correlate with clinical presentation. PES inducibility is deeply influenced by the protocol used. PES outcome is reproducible at a mid-term follow-up mainly if a categorical endpoint (inducible vs noninducible) is used. The need to assess the predictive value of specific PES protocols in targeted studies is widely emerging and is confirmed by our results.

Adult↗

PubMed1990

[Radiodiagnosis of orthodontic and dysfunctional anomalies of the stomatognathic system: analysis of a sample of 204 patients].

Two hundred and four subjects (86 males and 118 females), aged 8 to 35 years, with different types of malocclusion, underwent panoramic dental radiography and skull teleradiography. This study was aimed at investigating advantages and limitations of the two radiographic techniques, in view of their use as screening methods. On orthopantomography, inferior interincisive point, menthon (Me), and, bilaterally, gonion (Go) and condilion (Co), were localized so as to allow a model of the right and left jaws to be made. On teleradiography of the skull, in lateral view, Steiner's cephalometric analysis allowed skeletal classes to be evaluated according to ANB angle values. Moreover, major postural parameters relative to the relationship between skull and cervical spine were analyzed: atlanto-occipital distance, cranio-vertebral angle, cervical lordosis, and hyoid triangle. Orthopantomography, though not a reproducible technique, can be considered as a valuable screening method for it allows right and left hemi-jaws to be comparatively measured. Cephalometric analysis of postural data confirmed the frequency of wrong postures in orthodontic patients. From the correlation of mandibular asymmetries and cranio-cervical parameters, the authors observed that asymmetrical patients have many postural problems, just like class II skeletal and dolico-facial types. This finding seems to confirm the mixed (functional and skeletal) etiopathogenesis of mandibular asymmetries.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1988

High frequency, high volume ventilation for right ventricular assist.

During ventilation, the lungs may serve as accessory pumps for forward blood flow. We have noted significant hemodynamic improvement in several patients during short periods of vigorous hand ventilation with the Ambu bag and tried to reproduce the hemodynamic improvement in the management of four patients with profound low cardiac output syndrome secondary to right ventricular (RV) failure following open heart surgery. High frequency, high volume (HFHV) ventilation resulted in improved hemodynamics in these patients, as evidenced by pulsatile pulmonary blood flow and increased cardiac output. Right-sided stroke work was present and there was a fall in mean central venous pressure (CVP) and rise in mean pulmonary artery pressure (PAP).

Assisted Circulation↗

PubMed2006

Quantitative electroencephalography values of neonates during and after venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and permanent ligation of right common carotid artery.

Venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in neonates commonly needs neck vessel cannulation leading to ligation of right common carotid artery (RCCA) in some cases. Quantitative electroencephalography (EEG) measurements provide reproducible data of cerebral function. The aim of this case-control study was to test whether ligation of the RCCA results in EEG changes after ECMO weaning. Ten mechanically ventilated neonates not treated with ECMO were eligible as control patients. Seven ECMO patients receiving similar sedoanalgesia were investigated during and after ECMO and RCCA ligation. Dominant frequency, absolute alpha, theta, delta, and total powers of right and left frontocentral and temporooccipital derivations were calculated. Dominant frequency did not differ among groups. Power was found to be significantly decreased in all frequency bands during ECMO. After weaning from ECMO, EEG differences between the ECMO and control groups disappeared in spite of permanent RCCA ligation. It is concluded that ligation of the RCCA per se does not result in quantitative EEG changes.

Carotid Artery, Common↗

PubMed1986

Measurement of trunk flexibility in normal subjects: reproducibility of three clinical methods.

Although measurements of trunk flexibility are an important part of a clinical examination, subjective methods are usually used to assess spinal mobility. We studied three easily performed objective techniques for determining trunk flexibility (the common "fingertip-to-floor" test, the modified Schober and Moll tests, and the Loebl inclinometer method) and their interexaminer and intraexaminer reproducibility. On 3 different days, each of 25 normal subjects was tested by the same investigator. In 25 other subjects, the studies were performed by a different examiner (one of three) on each of 3 days. We recorded the following mean coefficients of variation for interexaminer and intraexaminer reproducibility of results, respectively: fingertip-to-floor, 83% and 76.4%; flexion (Schober), 6.3% and 6.6%; right lateral flexion (Moll), 11.9% and 8.9%; left lateral flexion (Moll), 10.2% and 9.5%; extension (Moll), 9.5% and 7.3%; lumbar flexion (Loebl), 9.6% and 13.4%; and lumbar extension (Loebl), 65.4% and 50.7%. Although the reproducibility of the "fingertip-to-floor" test and the Loebl extension test was poor, all other tests studied had good reproducibility. The consistency of results with repeated testing should be considered in the application of various trunk flexibility tests to clinical and research data.

Adolescent↗