The Reliability of Pharyngeal High Resolution Manometry with Impedance for Derivation of Measures of Swallowing Function in Healthy Volunteers

Abstract EN

Purpose.

We evaluated the intra- and interrater agreement and test-retest reliability of analyst derivation of swallow function variables based on repeated high resolution manometry with impedance measurements.

Methods.

Five subjects swallowed 10 × 10 mL saline on two occasions one week apart producing a database of 100 swallows.

Swallows were repeat-analysed by six observers using software.

Swallow variables were indicative of contractility, intrabolus pressure, and flow timing.

Results.

The average intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) for intra- and interrater comparisons of all variable means showed substantial to excellent agreement (intrarater ICC 0.85–1.00; mean interrater ICC 0.77–1.00).

Test-retest results were less reliable.

ICC for test-retest comparisons ranged from slight to excellent depending on the class of variable.

Contractility variables differed most in terms of test-retest reliability.

Amongst contractility variables, UES basal pressure showed excellent test-retest agreement (mean ICC 0.94), measures of UES postrelaxation contractile pressure showed moderate to substantial test-retest agreement (mean Interrater ICC 0.47–0.67), and test-retest agreement of pharyngeal contractile pressure ranged from slight to substantial (mean Interrater ICC 0.15–0.61).

Conclusions.

Test-retest reliability of HRIM measures depends on the class of variable.

Measures of bolus distension pressure and flow timing appear to be more test-retest reliable than measures of contractility.