Reproducibility of freehand vs. foam cast as well as the intrarater reliability of foam cast ultrasound scans assessing the muscle architecture and tissue organization of the gastrocnemius medialis and vastus lateralis muscles

Bibliographic Data

ID4683297
AuthorsMelanie Lesinski (0000-0002-5945-2998, University of Potsdam), Gregory Bashford, Gregory R Bashford (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), Adrian Markov (0000-0002-1855-5552, University of Potsdam), Lucie Risch (0000-0001-7519-3773, University of Potsdam), Michael Cassel (0000-0002-6947-4517, University of Potsdam)
Year2024
Volume6
Pages1383411-1383411
Publication date2024-05-02
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueFrontiers in Sports and Active Living (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2624-9367 • E-ISSN: 2624-9367
PublisherFrontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3389/fspor.2024.1383411
PMID38756190
OpenAlexW4396599199
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited22

BackgroundThis study compares the reproducibility of freehand (FH) vs. foam cast (FC) scans and investigates the intrarater reliability of the ultrasound FC muscle architecture and tissue organization measurements of the gastrocnemius medialis (GM) and vastus lateralis (VL) muscles with fixed and repositioning FC scans.MethodsThirteen young adults (22 ± 3 years) underwent repeated sagittal B-mode ultrasound measurements of GM and VL. FH, FC, and repositioned FC scans were conducted. Muscle architecture measurements included muscle thickness (MT), pennation angle (PA), and fascicle length (FL). Spatial frequency analysis assessed muscle tissue organization.ResultsMT decreased from 2.1 to 1.8 cm in GM and from 2.4 to 2.2 cm in VL with the FC compared with the FH. Reproducibility between the FH and the FC showed poor to good intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) for MT (0.46-0.77) and PA (0.09-0.86) as well as poor to moderate ICCs for FL (0.41), with very low to moderate test-retest variability (TRV) (4%-18%). Tissue organization indicated low to good ICCs (0.21-0.80) with low to moderate TRV (4%-19.5%). The re-scanning results of fixed FC indicated excellent ICCs for MT (0.95-0.996), good for PA (0.77-0.90), and moderate for FL (0.73-0.76), with low TRV (5%-10%) for both muscles. Tissue organization displayed moderate to good ICCs (0.61-0.87) with very low to low TRV (4%-9%). For repositioned FC scans in GM and VL, MT showed good to excellent ICCs (0.86-0.98) with very low to low TRV (2%-8%). PA and FL demonstrated moderate to good ICCs (0.57-0.75), with very low to moderate TRV (2%-13%). Tissue organization revealed ICCs ranging from poor to good (0.13-0.87) for both muscles, with low to moderate TRV (5%-18%).ConclusionThe FC systematically reduced MT by 2-3 mm. Furthermore, reproducibility revealed low ICCs and high data variability for several muscle architecture and tissue organization parameters. Thus, switching methods within a single study is not recommended. Nevertheless, FC ultrasound scans demonstrated excellent intrarater reliability for assessing MT. In the case of fixed FC scans particularly, moderate to excellent ICCs were observed for all muscle architecture and tissue organization parameters, accompanied by very low to low variability. Therefore, FC scans are recommended for investigating acute effects on muscle architecture and tissue organization when the FC remains on the leg throughout the period of measurements

Electromyography · Fascicle · Intraclass correlation · Muscle architecture · Muscle tissue · Nuclear medicine · Physical medicine and rehabilitation · Radiology · Reproducibility · Sagittal plane · Skeletal muscle · Ultrasound · Vastus lateralis muscle · Vastus medialis · Chemistry · Materials Science · Medicine · Muscle activation and electromyography studies · Sports injuries and prevention · Sports Performance and Training · Anatomy · Biomedical Engineering

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