Inter- and intratester comparison of the Rolimeter knee tester: effect of tester's experience and the examination technique

Clinical knee examination is imperative for the prognosis, follow-up, and s cientific comparison of anterior cruciate ligament surgery results. A new d evice, the Rolimeter knee tester was studied in this study with respect to inter- and intratester reliability. We found no significant difference in t he intratester evaluation, and data were reliable between repeated measurem ents and between different testers with the same examination technique. The tester's experience seems to play a role using use the Rolimeter knee test er, but even an inexperienced tester can use it and obtain data that are ve ry close to the data obtained by an experienced tester when the same techni que is used. Furthermore, it was found that the manual examination of anter ior translation also provides a reliable measurement, at least in the hand of experienced testers. Further advantages are that the Rolimeter knee test er is cheap, can be sterilized, and is simple to use.