EVALUATION OF INTRA- AND INTER-OBSERVER AGREEMENT OF ULTRASONOGRAPHIC FINDINGS AFTER ADIPOSE TISSUE-DERIVED MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS TREATMENT OF SUPERFICIAL DIGITAL FLEXOR TENDON INJURIES IN HORSES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26873/SVR-832-2019Abstract
The present paper assesses the multi-observer evaluation of ultrasonographic response of horses with superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) damage to the inoculation of autologous adipose mesenchymal stem cells (AMSCs). The study included 15 horses recruited at an equine hospital following a SDFT damage diagnosis. Horses were implanted with AMSCs obtained from the paracaudal region. Treatment efficacy, in terms of morphological recovery of SDTF considered as degree of echogenicity (TS) and percentage of fibres alignment (FAS), was evaluated using four experts. Inter-observer agreement of experts’ judgements on ultrasonographic examinations in different stages of recovery was calculated. The classification of the intra-observer agreement was defined as good for both TS and FAS while the inter-observer agreement was good for TS and moderate for FAS. Ultrasonographic images judged as having a higher TS showed 95 times greater chance of belonging to the final recovery stage than the first and a 50 times greater chance resulted for FAS. This study provided evidence that the inter-observer agreement of ultrasonographic images is a reliable and valid method to evaluate the morphological recovery of injured tendons. In addition, the study demonstrated the morphological recovery of SDFT in horses following AMSCs injection through an independent evaluation system.
Key words: multi-observer agreement; ultrasonographic diagnosis; adipose mesenchymal stem cells; equine tendon desmopathy
PRESOJA OCEN OPAZOVANJA VEČ STROKOVNJAKOV IN VEČKRATNIH PREGLEDOV ULTRAZVOČNIH UGOTOVITEV PO ZDRAVLJENJU POŠKODBE POVRŠINSKE UPOGIBOVALKE PRSTOV PRI KONJIH Z MEZENHIMSKIMI MATIČNIMI CELICAMI, PRIDOBLJENIMI IZ MAŠČOBNEGA TKIVA
Povzetek: V članku so obravnavane ocene opazovanj več opazovalcev, ki so z ultrazvokom spremljali celjenje poškodovane tetive površinske upogibovalke prstov (SDFT) po zdravljenju z avtolognimi maščobnih matičnimi celicami (AMSC). V raziskavo je bilo vključenih 15 konjev, ki so bili napoteni na Kliniko za zdravstveno varstvo kopitarjev po diagnozi poškodbe SDFT. Konji so bili zdravljeni z vsadki AMSC, pridobljenimi iz parakavdalnega področja. Učinkovitost zdravljenja v smislu morfološke obnove SDTF, ki je bila obravnavana kot stopnja ehogenosti (TS) in odstotka poravnave vlaken (FAS), je bila ovrednotena s pomočjo štirih strokovnjakov. Izračunana je bila klasifikacija ocen strokovnjakov o opazovanju izsledkov ultrazvočnih pregledov v različnih fazah okrevanja živali. Razvrstitev ocen znotraj posameznega opazovalca je bila značilno enotna za TS in FAS, medtem ko je bila podobnost ocen med opazovalci značilno enotna za TS in zmerno enotna za FAS. Ultrazvočne slike, za katere je bilo ocenjeno, da imajo višjo TS, so pokazale 95-krat večjo možnost za doseganje končne faze okrevanja in 50-krat večjo možnost za FAS. Ta študija dokazuje, da je enotnost ocen, ki izhaja iz ocen ultrazvočnih slik več neodvisnih ocenjevalcev zanesljiva in uporabna metoda za oceno morfološke ozdravitve poškodovanih tetiv. Poleg tega je študija s pomočjo opisanega neodvisnega sistema ocenjevanja pokazala morfološko okrevanje SDFT pri konjih po aplikaciji AMSC.
Ključne besede: dogovor ocenjevanja več opazovalcev; ultrazvočna diagnoza; mezenhimske maščobne matične celice; dezmopatija tetive konjev
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