Assessment of Operator Reliability in Ultrasound of the Median and Ulnar Nerve Using Bland-Altman Analysis.

Currently, there is no standardized method to evaluate operator reliability in nerve ultrasound. A short prospective protocol using Bland-Altman analysis was developed to assess the level of agreement between operators with different expertise levels. A control rater without experience in nerve ultrasound, three novices after two months of training, an experienced rater with two years of experience, and a reference rater performed blinded ultrasound examinations of the left median and ulnar nerve in 42 nerve sites in healthy volunteers.