Reliability of videotaped observational gait analysis in patients with orthopedic impairments

BACKGROUND: In clinical practice, visual gait observation is often used to determine gait disorders and to evaluate treatment. Several reliability studies on observational gait analysis have been described in the literature and generally showed moderate reliability. However, patients with orthopedic disorders have received little attention. The objective of this study is to determine the reliability levels of visual observation of gait in patients with orthopedic disorders. METHODS: The gait of thirty patients referred to a physical therapist for gait treatment was videotaped. Ten raters, 4 experienced, 4 inexperienced and 2 experts, individually evaluated these videotaped gait patterns of the patients twice, by using a structured gait analysis form. Reliability levels were established by calculating the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC), using a two-way random design and based on absolute agreement. RESULTS: The inter-rater reliability among experienced raters (ICC = 0.42; 95%CI: 0.38–0.46) was comparable to that of the inexperienced raters (ICC = 0.40; 95%CI: 0.36–0.44). The expert raters reached a higher inter-rater reliability level (ICC = 0.54; 95%CI: 0.48–0.60). The average intra-rater reliability of the experienced raters was 0.63 (ICCs ranging from 0.57 to 0.70). The inexperienced raters reached an average intra-rater reliability of 0.57 (ICCs ranging from 0.52 to 0.62). The two expert raters attained ICC values of 0.70 and 0.74 respectively. CONCLUSION: Structured visual gait observation by use of a gait analysis form as described in this study was found to be moderately reliable. Clinical experience appears to increase the reliability of visual gait analysis

Modeling Response to Advertising and Pricing Changes for “V-8” Cocktail Vegetable Juice

This paper is based on a series of studies undertaken for “V-8” Cocktail Vegetable Juice over a five-year period. The studies were a consequence of management questions regarding the effectiveness of a new advertising campaign, the best media mix for this campaign and the apparent “wear-out” of the advertising copy. The studies included controlled experimentation, estimation of advertising response functions, and exploration of price sensitivity following major price increases by “V-8.” It was found that the short-term response to advertising was S-shaped, and that the new creative approach rather than expenditure levels alone accounted for by far the largest component of the impact of advertising on sales. It was also found that for a short period following the major price increases, “V-8” became extremely price sensitive. However, after about six months, the marginal impact of price returned to historical levels. The application of results at Campbell Soup Company, their relationship to the literature and their implications for both researchers and practitioners are discussed.advertising response functions, pricing, new campaign evaluation, campaign wearout

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Dodson (Dodson, J. 1989. Commentary on “Conducting advertising experiments in the real world: The Campbell Soup Company experience”. 72–73.) and McNiven (McNiven, M. A. 1989. Commentary on “Advertising experiments at the Campbell Soup Company”. 74–75.) have raised several interesting questions regarding our work. In this response, we would like to clarify some of the underlying issues.

Texas Business Review, June 1952

The Business Situation in Texas; Construction; Retail Trade; Industrial Production; Prices; Agriculture; Cotton; Labor; Finance; Foreign Trade; Directory of Texas ManufacturersBureau of Business Researc

Intermediate-term clinical and radiographic outcomes with less invasive adult spinal deformity surgery: patients with a minimum follow-up of 4 years.

BACKGROUND: Little information exists regarding longer-term outcomes with minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS), particularly regarding long-segment and deformity procedures. We aimed to evaluate intermediate-term outcomes of MISS for adult spinal deformity (ASD). METHODS: This retrospective review of a prospectively collected multicenter database examined outcomes at 4 or more years following circumferential MIS (cMIS) or hybrid (HYB) surgery for ASD. A total of 53 patients at 8 academic centers satisfied the following inclusion criteria: age \u3e 18 years and coronal Cobb \u3e 20°, pelvic incidence-lumbar lordosis (PI-LL) \u3e 10°, or sagittal vertical axis (SVA) \u3e 5 cm. RESULTS: Radiographic outcomes demonstrated improvements of PI-LL from 16.8° preoperatively to 10.8° and coronal Cobb angle from 38° preoperatively to 18.2° at 4 years. The incidence of complications over the follow-up period was 56.6%. A total of 21 (39.6%) patients underwent reoperation in the thoracolumbar spine, most commonly for adjacent level disease or proximal junctional kyphosis, which occurred in 11 (20.8%) patients. Mean Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) at baseline and years 1 through 4 were 49.9, 33.1, 30.2, 32.7, and 35.0, respectively. The percentage of patients meeting minimal clinically important difference (MCID) (defined as 12% or more from baseline) decreased over time, with leg pain reduction more durable than back pain reduction. CONCLUSIONS: Intermediate-term clinical and radiographic improvement following MISS for ASD is sustained, but extent of improvement lessens over time. Outcome variability exists within a subset of patients not meeting MCID, which increases over time after year two. Loss of improvement over time was more notable in back than leg pain. However, average ODI improvement meets MCID at 4 years after MIS ASD surgery

Does MIS Surgery Allow for Shorter Constructs in the Surgical Treatment of Adult Spinal Deformity?

Abstract BACKGROUND: The length of construct can potentially influence perioperative risks in adult spinal deformity (ASD) surgery. A head-to-head comparison between open and minimally invasive surgery (MIS) techniques for treatment of ASD has yet to be performed. OBJECTIVE: To examine the impact of MIS approaches on construct length and clinical outcomes in comparison to traditional open approaches when treating similar ASD profiles. METHODS: Two multicenter databases for ASD, 1 involving MIS procedures and the other open procedures, were propensity matched for clinical and radiographic parameters in this observational study. Inclusion criteria were ASD and minimum 2-year follow-up. Independent t-test and chi-square test were used to evaluate and compare outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 1215 patients were identified, with 84 patients matched in each group. Statistical significance was found for mean levels fused (4.8 for circumferential MIS [cMIS] and 10.1 for open), mean interbody fusion levels (3.6 cMIS and 2.4 open), blood loss (estimated blood loss 488 mL cMIS and 1762 mL open), and hospital length of stay (6.7 days cMIS and 9.7 days open). There was no significant difference in preoperative radiographic parameters or postoperative clinical outcomes (Owestry Disability Index and visual analog scale) between groups. There was a significant difference in postoperative lumbar lordosis (43.3° cMIS and 49.8° open) and pelvic incidence-lumbar lordosis correction (10.6° cMIS and 5.2° open) in the open group. There was no significant difference in reoperation rate between the 2 groups. CONCLUSION: MIS techniques for ASD may reduce construct length, reoperation rates, blood loss, and length of stay without affecting clinical and radiographic outcomes when compared to a similar group of patients treated with open techniques

Postural orientation in subjects with anterior cruciate ligament injury: development and first evaluation of a new observational test battery.

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is associated with mechanical instability and defective neuromuscular function, and can lead to further injury, increased joint loading and osteoarthritis. Patients with ACL injury demonstrate altered postural orientation, manifested as observable "substitution patterns" (SPs) but no one has applied a clinically useful method to systematically study postural orientation in these patients. Here, we investigated the presence of such patterns in 24 adults with ACL injury and in 49 controls, in parallel with the development and a first evaluation of a new test battery, test for SPs. The rationale behind the test for SPs was to characterize postural orientation as the ability to maintain appropriate relationships between body segments and environment during weight-bearing movements. In this first study, patients displayed SPs more frequently and/or more clearly on their injured, but also their uninjured side than did controls. Inter-rater and intra-rater reproducibility was good at a group level. Future studies of validity, responsiveness and including other subgroups of patients with ACL injury will have to prove if the test for SPs can be used in the diagnostics of defective neuromuscular function following knee injury, when planning and carrying out training and rehabilitation and when deciding appropriate time to return to activity and sports after ACL injury