Reliability of the triple-timed up-and-go test

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Clinical Assessment
• Reproducibility Studies

Background:

• Lambert-Eaton myasthenia (LEM) is a rare autoimmune disorder affecting neuromuscular transmission.
• Assessing clinical function in LEM patients is crucial for monitoring disease progression and treatment efficacy.
• A reliable and objective measure is needed to quantify functional deficits in LEM.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the reliability of the novel triple-timed up-and-go (3TUG) test.
• To assess the intrarater reproducibility and interrater agreement of the 3TUG test in various participant groups.
• To determine if the 3TUG test is a suitable measure for clinical function in LEM patients.

Main Methods:

• The 3TUG test was administered to 25 control participants, 24 patients with non-LEM neuromuscular disease, and 12 LEM patients.
• Intrarater reproducibility and interrater agreement were assessed using the coverage probability (CP) method.
• Acceptable agreement was defined as a CP value ≥0.90 and <20% difference in test times.

Main Results:

• The 3TUG test demonstrated acceptable intrarater reproducibility across all participant groups (CP > 0.90).
• Interrater agreement for the 3TUG test was also confirmed to be acceptable in all groups (CP > 0.90).
• These findings indicate high reliability for the 3TUG test in measuring functional performance.

Conclusions:

• The 3TUG test is a reliable, noninvasive, and easily performable measure for assessing clinical weakness in LEM patients.
• The test requires minimal training and provides clinically relevant functional data.
• Further validation in a larger LEM cohort is ongoing to solidify its role as a clinical tool.