Quality reporting of carotid intima-media thickness methodology; Current state of the science in the field of spinal cord injury

The Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine, 2018 · DOI: 10.1080/10790268.2017.1301622 · Published: July 1, 2018

Spinal Cord Injury Cardiovascular Science

Simple Explanation

Carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) is increasingly used to screen for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). However, variations in how cIMT is measured and analyzed pose a challenge to the field. This study evaluates the quality of reported methods for collecting cIMT values in SCI patients, emphasizing the need for standardized, high-quality data acquisition and analysis to ensure accurate CVD risk assessment.

Study Duration

Not specified

Participants

12 studies measuring cIMT in individuals with SCI

Evidence Level

Not specified

Key Findings

1
The study found that the overall reporting of quality methodology for cIMT in SCI literature was poor.
2
No study was scored as 'high quality' in methodological reporting; five were 'moderate quality', and seven were 'low quality'.
3
A greater adherence to current methodological guidelines is needed to advance the field of cIMT in SCI.

Research Summary

This review describes the current state of cIMT acquisition and analysis quality in individuals with SCI. The primary finding of this review is that the current literature reporting cIMT values among individuals with SCI was scored as low to moderate in quality reporting of the study methods. Multiple aspects of quality reporting need to be addressed to progress the cIMT literature in SCI research

Practical Implications

Standardized Protocols

Adopting standardized cIMT acquisition and analysis protocols is crucial for data pooling and comparison across different studies, enhancing the reliability and applicability of research findings.

Refined Guidelines

There is a need for refined and SCI-specific cIMT reporting guidelines to aid researchers in study design and journals in manuscript selection, improving the overall quality and consistency of published research.

Clinical Applicability

Given the challenges in applying conventional CVD assessment methods in SCI populations, improving cIMT assessment through standardized and high-quality methodologies offers a practical, non-invasive tool for CVD risk screening.

Study Limitations

1
Publication word limits in the examined studies may have affected the depth of methodological detail reported.
2
The guidelines used to appraise the literature were abstracted from two consensus papers which did not concur with one another on each criterion
3
The quality classifications developed by the authors was arbitrary and have not been psychometrically evaluated

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