J Clin Neurol.  2018 Oct;14(4):549-554. 10.3988/jcn.2018.14.4.549.

Muscle Thickness and Echo Intensity of the Abdominal and Lower Extremity Muscles in Stroke Survivors

Affiliations
  • 1Graduate School of Medical Rehabilitation, Kobe Gakuin University, Kobe, Japan. monjo@avanzar.co.jp
  • 2Faculty of Rehabilitation, Kobe Gakuin University, Kobe, Japan.

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
This study compared the muscle thickness (MT) and echo intensity (EI) of the abdominal, thigh, and lower leg muscles between the paretic and nonparetic sides in chronic stroke survivors.
METHODS
Thirty-two stroke survivors living in the community participated in this study. The MT and EI, which are indicators of muscle mass and intramuscular fat or connective tissue, were assessed in the rectus abdominis, external oblique, internal oblique, transversus abdominis, rectus femoris, vastus intermedius, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, tibialis anterior, gastrocnemius, and soleus via transverse ultrasound imaging. In addition, a possible indicator of physical activity"”the frequency of going out per week"”was evaluated.
RESULTS
All quadriceps muscles and the tibialis anterior were significantly thinner and the EI values of the vastus intermedius, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, and soleus were significantly higher in the paretic limb than the nonparetic limb. The MT and EI values of abdominal muscles did not differ significantly between the two sides. The MT values of the paretic rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, and vastus medialis were significantly associated with the frequency of going out after adjusting confounding factors. The MT of the nonparetic vastus lateralis was significantly associated with latency from stroke onset after adjusting confounding factors.
CONCLUSIONS
Our results indicate that quantitative and qualitative changes on the paretic side in stroke survivors were the most robust in the thigh muscles, whereas such changes might not occur in the abdominal muscles.

Keyword

muscle thickness; echo intensity; ultrasound; stroke survivors

MeSH Terms

Abdominal Muscles
Connective Tissue
Extremities
Humans
Leg
Lower Extremity*
Muscles*
Quadriceps Muscle
Rectus Abdominis
Stroke*
Survivors*
Thigh
Ultrasonography

Figure

  • Fig. 1 Muscle ultrasound images and measurement sites and positions. A: Rectus abdominis, at 3 cm lateral to the umbilicus, with the patient supine. B: External oblique, internal oblique, and transverse abdominis, at 2.5 cm anterior to the midaxillary line at the midpoint between the inferior rib and the iliac crest, with the patient supine. C: Rectus femoris and vastus intermedius, at midway between the anterior superior iliac supine and the proximal end of the patella, with the patient supine. D: Vastus lateralis, at midway between the great trochanter and the lateral condyle of the tibia, with the patient supine. E: Vastus medialis, at 30% proximal between the great trochanter and the lateral condyle of the tibia, with the patient supine. F: Tibialis anterior, at 30% proximal between the lateral malleolus of the fibula and the lateral condyle of the tibia, with the patient supine. G: Gastrocnemius, at the medial head of the gastrocnemius at 30% proximal between the lateral malleolus of the fibula and the lateral condyle of the tibia, with the patient sitting. Soleus, at 30% proximal between the lateral malleolus of the fibula and the lateral condyle of the tibia, with the patient sitting.


Cited by  1 articles

Changes in Lower Extremity Muscle Quantity and Quality in Patients with Subacute Stroke
Da Hye Kim, Eun Sol Cho, Young Sook Park, Hyun Jung Chang, Jin Gee Park, Jae Yeon Kim, Jeong Hwan Lee
Ann Rehabil Med. 2023;47(6):493-501.    doi: 10.5535/arm.23091.


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