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The Unified Multiple System Atrophy Rating Scale: intrarater reliability
Florian Krismer1, Klaus Seppi, François Tison
1Department of Neurology, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria.
Summary
The Unified Multiple System Atrophy Rating Scale (UMSARS) motor exam shows good intrarater reliability for tracking multiple system atrophy progression. Ocular motor items had moderate agreement, but overall results support UMSARS use.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Clinical Assessment Tools
Background:
- The Unified Multiple System Atrophy Rating Scale (UMSARS) is crucial for measuring disease progression in multiple system atrophy (MSA).
- Assessing the reliability of UMSARS components is vital for its accurate clinical application.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the intrarater agreement of the motor examination section of the UMSARS.
- To evaluate the reliability of UMSARS for assessing multiple system atrophy.
Main Methods:
- Video-recorded patient examinations were conducted by senior and junior investigators.
- Examinations were reassessed by the same investigators after a 3-month interval.
- Intrarater reliability for each UMSARS motor item was quantified using kappa statistics.
Main Results:
- Most UMSARS motor examination items demonstrated substantial to excellent intrarater agreement (κ values).
- Ocular motor dysfunction items exhibited only moderate intrarater agreement.
- Reliability was consistent between senior and junior raters, with minimal differences.
Conclusions:
- The motor examination component of the UMSARS exhibits satisfactory intrarater reliability in the studied patient cohort.
- UMSARS is a reliable tool for assessing motor function in multiple system atrophy.
- Further refinement may be needed for ocular motor assessments within the UMSARS.
