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Inter-rater Reliability of Diagnosing Thoracic Outlet Syndrome by Physiotherapists

NCT05252104 · Status: UNKNOWN · Type: OBSERVATIONAL · Enrollment: 30

Last updated 2022-02-23

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) denotes the collection of symptoms which may arise from compression of the neurovascular structures in the region of the brachial plexus. TOS has historically been a clinical enigma, with lack of consensus regarding its diagnosis limiting the validity of any research into it. Literature and local audit both note significant patient morbidity and redundant use of secondary care clinics and investigations in sufferers. The last decade has seen the creation of a consortium of leaders in the field and development of the CORE-TOS diagnostic tool. This tool has 5 subsets of clinical diagnostic criteria (CDC). Positivity in 4 or more suggests a diagnosis of TOS.

The current study seeks to specifically examine whether physiotherapy clinicians - both in primary and secondary care - can consistently identify cases of TOS using the CORE-TOS tool and refer them appropriately to an extended scope physiotherapist (ESP) specialising in the condition. Specific education will be provided to relevant physiotherapists who will be asked to note all relevant CDC in any suspected cases thereafter referred to the ESP in an out-patient physiotherapy department setting. These referrals will follow the standard local pathway to physiotherapy and no clinical testing manoeuvres out with the current scope of physiotherapy will be applied. The patients' case notes will thereafter be retrospectively examined, and the inter-rater reliability of the CDC recorded by the both the referring physiotherapist on their referral and the researcher at initial review. This will analysed using intraclass correlation coefficient, SEM and Bland and Altman's agreement tests, coupled with descriptive analysis.

Conditions

  • Thoracic Outlet Syndrome

Interventions

DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

CORE-TOS diagnostic tool

Collection of clinical findings from clinical examination, subdivided into 5 sub-categories. Positivity in 4 or 5 of these subcategories is considered diagnostic for thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS).

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Queen Margaret University

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • John A O'Toole, BSc (Hons) · Masters Student

Eligibility

Min Age
16 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2022-04-01
Primary Completion
2022-06-01
Completion
2022-08-20

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT05252104 on ClinicalTrials.gov