Effect of quantification of probe pressure monitoring on the reliability of muscle thickness measurement with ultrasound diagnostic imaging system—A pilot study in healthy adults—

Abstract

Loss of skeletal muscle mass in the elderly is associated with an increased need for care, increased fall risk, and decreased quality of life. Reliable assessment methods are important. An ultrasound system may be used for skeletal muscle assessment; however, keeping consistent probe pressure against skeletal muscle is necessary to ensure reliability. There are few studies on the reliability of skeletal muscle assessment using a probe pressure-monitoring device. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of quantification of probe pressure monitoring on the reliability of muscle thickness measurement with ultrasound diagnostic imaging system. We investigated the interday reliability of muscle thickness measurements with an ultrasound system on rectus femoris muscle in 11 healthy adults. We randomized the measurements to two methods—monitoring probe pressure and blinding methods (M and B methods, respectively). We statistically analyzed the reliability of each condition using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and minimal detectable change with 95% confidence (MDC95). ICC was 0.96 for the M method and 0.84 for the B method. MDC95 was 0.86 mm in the M method and 2.2 mm in the B method. The M method had better reliability according to both ICC and MDC95. Therefore, we conclude that using probe pressure monitoring-device during ultrasound examinations may improve intraexaminer reliability of muscle thickness measurements.