Reliability of Shear Wave Elastography for Measuring the Elastic Properties of the Quadratus Lumborum Muscle

Background/Objectives: The quadratus lumborum (QL) muscle is a key structure involved in patients with low back pain (LBP). Since the discriminative capability of morphological descriptors is uncertain and considering the high prevalence of myofascial trigger points and the poor reliability of manual palpation in this condition, developing a reliable procedure for assessing the QL's tenderness is needed for facilitating the diagnosis and monitoring changes over time. We aimed to analyze the intra- and inter-examiner reliability of SWE for calculating the QL tenderness in patients with LBP. Methods: Using a convex transducer, longitudinal shear wave elastography (SWE) images of the QL muscle were acquired bilaterally twice in 52 volunteers with moderate LBP and disability by one experienced examiner and one novel examiner to measure shear wave speed and Young's modulus as stiffness metrics. Results: Intra-examiner reliability estimates demonstrated high consistency independently of the examiner's experience (intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) > 0.930) for both metrics. However, experienced examiners showed smaller minimal detectable changes. Additionally, inter-examiner reliability was lower, with ICCs ranging from 0.57 to 0.68, and significant differences in mean values between examiners (p < 0.01) were found. Conclusions: This procedure exhibited excellent intra-examiner reliability for assessing QL muscle stiffness in patients suffering LBP, indicating high repeatability of measurements when performed by the same examiner. In addition, experienced examiners demonstrated greater sensitivity in detecting real changes not attributed to measurement errors. However, inter-examiner reliability was moderate, highlighting the need for consistent examiner use to avoid measurement variability and averaging multiple measurements to enhance the accuracy.