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INFLUENCE OF ULTRASOUND FREQUENCY ON TEST-RETEST RELIABILITY OF MUSCLE ARCHITECTURE

AT Jordan

Abstract

Abbey T. Jordan. The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL.

INFLUENCE OF ULTRASOUND FREQUENCY ON TEST-RETEST RELIABILITY OF MUSCLE ARCHITECTURE Abbey T. Jordan1, Kealey J. Wohlgemuth1, Malia M. Blue2, Jacob A. Mota1 1University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL; 2University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC BACKGROUND: Muscle architecture is a valuable contributor to whole muscle function. Ultrasonography is a popular technique used to measure muscle architecture variables (i.e., pennation angle [PA] and fascicle length [FL]). Unfortunately, there is not a consensus on ultrasound image settings in the literature. Understanding the reliability of these ultrasound-based measurements between different ultrasound settings may be critical for investigators using similar techniques in longitudinal-based studies. Therefore, the purpose of this project was to examine the reliability of PA and FL assessed at different ultrasound frequencies. METHODS: Twenty-three participants (23 ± 4yrs) completed one laboratory visit to have measures of the vastus lateralis (VL) muscle architecture assessed with a B-Mode ultrasound imaging device. Longitudinal scans were taken to assess muscle architecture of the VL. An open-source imaging program, ImageJ, was used to analyze all images after scaling from pixels to centimeters. Test-retest reliability statistics (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] model 2,1, standard error of measure as a percentage of the mean [SEM%], minimal differences to be considered real [MD]) were calculated for each variable. RESULTS: Reliability of PA at 10 MHz (ICC2,1= 0.859, SEM (%) = 10.466, MD = 5.66) is similar to 12 MHz (ICC2,1 = 0.747, SEM (%) = 9.607, MD = 5.176). Reliability of FL at 10 MHz (ICC2,1 = 0.828, SEM (%) = 9.796, MD = 1.906) is similar to 12 MHz (ICC2,1 = 0.857, SEM (%) = 8.045, MD = 1.621). CONCLUSION: The outcomes of this study suggest that ultrasound frequency does not impair the test-retest reliability statistics for VL muscle architecture variables.

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