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Measurement of intramuscular fat by muscle echo intensity
Author(s) -
Young HuiJu,
Jenkins Nathan T.,
Zhao Qun,
Mccully Kevin K.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
muscle and nerve
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.025
H-Index - 145
eISSN - 1097-4598
pISSN - 0148-639X
DOI - 10.1002/mus.24656
Subject(s) - intramuscular fat , biceps , ultrasound , medicine , subcutaneous fat , intensity (physics) , ultrasound imaging , nuclear medicine , anatomy , radiology , adipose tissue , chemistry , biochemistry , physics , quantum mechanics
: The aim of this study was to compare ultrasound echo intensity (EI) with high‐resolution T 1 ‐weighted MRI and to establish calibration equations to estimate percent intramuscular fat from EI. Methods : Thirty‐one participants underwent both ultrasound and MRI testing of 4 muscles: rectus femoris (RF); biceps femoris (BF); tibialis anterior (TA); and medial gastrocnemius (MG). Results : Strong correlations were found between MRI percent fat and muscle EI after correcting for subcutaneous fat thickness ( r = 0.91 in RF, r = 0.80 in BF, r = 0.80 in TA, r = 0.76 in MG). Three types of calibration equations were established. Conclusions : Muscle ultrasound is a practical and reproducible method that can be used as an imaging technique for examination of percent intramuscular fat. Future ultrasound studies are needed to establish equations for other muscle groups to enhance its use in both research and clinical settings. Muscle Nerve 52 : 963–971, 2015