Development of a Lateral Longitudinal Arch Evaluation Method for the Foot Using Ultrasonography: Validation With...

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Biomechanics
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• The lateral longitudinal arch (LLA) is crucial for foot function.
• Current evaluation methods for LLA are less developed than for the medial longitudinal arch (MLA).
• The cuboid bone is central to LLA structure and integrity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate an ultrasonography method for measuring cuboid height.
• To assess the correlation between ultrasonographic and radiographic cuboid height measurements.
• To determine the intrarater and interrater reliability of the ultrasonographic method.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study involving 21 university students.
• Cuboid height measured via radiography and ultrasonography.
• Validity assessed using correlation and Bland-Altman analysis; reliability using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs).

Main Results:

• Strong correlation (r=0.98) between ultrasonography and radiography for cuboid height.
• Ultrasonography showed a fixed bias of -0.71 mm.
• Excellent intrarater (ICC=0.98) and interrater (ICC=0.99) reliability for ultrasonography.

Conclusions:

• Ultrasonography provides a valid and reliable method for measuring cuboid height.
• This technique is a noninvasive, cost-effective alternative to radiography.
• Potential clinical applications include evaluating LLA, cuboid syndrome, and lateral foot injuries.