Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39652865›Full record

ArticleAnnals of plastic surgery2025

Comprehensive Validation of the German Version of the LIMB-Q.

Inga S Besmens, Jennifer A Watson, Efe Akyildiz, Lily R Mundy, Pietro Giovanoli, Maurizio Calcagni, Nicole Lindenblatt

Abstract readValidation Study
In one paragraph

Article in Annals of plastic surgery, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Inga S BesmensFrom the Department of Plastic Surgery and Hand Surgery, University Hospital Zurich (USZ), Zurich, Switzerland.
Jennifer A WatsonFrom the Department of Plastic Surgery and Hand Surgery, University Hospital Zurich (USZ), Zurich, Switzerland.
Efe AkyildizFrom the Department of Plastic Surgery and Hand Surgery, University Hospital Zurich (USZ), Zurich, Switzerland.
Lily R MundyDepartment of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.
Pietro Giovanoli
Maurizio CalcagniFrom the Department of Plastic Surgery and Hand Surgery, University Hospital Zurich (USZ), Zurich, Switzerland.
Nicole LindenblattORCID 0000-0003-0293-1004

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveLower extremity trauma significantly impacts patients' lives, requiring a nuanced approach to evaluate outcomes beyond clinical measures. The LIMB-Q, a patient-reported outcome measure (PROM), assesses the multifaceted impacts of lower extremity trauma, including physical and emotional dimensions, from the patient's perspective. This study validates the German version of the LIMB-Q.

methodsWe relied on the translation of the LIMB-Q that had followed the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research best practice guidelines. Sixty patients who had undergone reconstructive surgery or amputation of the lower limb completed the LIMB-Q, Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS), and Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). Internal consistency of the German LIMB-Q was determined by Cronbach's alpha, and reliability was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient. Construct validity was analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficients between the LIMB-Q, LEFS, and SF-36.

resultsValidation involved 60 patients. Internal consistency in a test-retest subset of 5 patients was good to excellent (α: 0.891 to 0.965). The intraclass correlation coefficient for these scales ranged from 0.821 to 1. The LIMB-Q domains significantly correlated with the corresponding domains of the SF-36 and LEFS, confirming excellent construct validity.

conclusionsThe German version of the LIMB-Q is conceptually equivalent to the original English version. It is a reliable and valid PROM for assessing physical and psychological impairments in patients who have undergone lower extremity reconstructive surgery or amputation.

Indexed as

Leg InjuriesLower ExtremityPatient Reported Outcome MeasuresPlastic Surgery ProceduresQuality of LifeAdultAgedAmputation, SurgicalFemaleGermanyHumansMaleMiddle AgedReproducibility of Results

Identifiers

PMID39652865
PMCPMC11902580

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Registered trials

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