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Application of muscle ultrasound for the evaluation of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: An observational cross‐sectional study
Author(s) -
Rajabkhah Sahebeh,
Moradi Kamyar,
Okhovat Ali A.,
Van Alfen Nens,
Fathi Davood,
Aghaghazvini Leila,
AshrafGanjouei Amir,
Attarian Shahram,
Nafissi Shahriar,
Fatehi Farzad
Publication year - 2020
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.27036
Subject(s) - amyotrophic lateral sclerosis , medicine , ultrasound , tibialis anterior muscle , clinical significance , physical medicine and rehabilitation , physical therapy , skeletal muscle , radiology , disease
We evaluated the association between muscle ultrasound, number of motor units, and clinical parameters, and assessed their utility for distinguishing amyotrophic lateral scleorisis (ALS) patients from healthy individuals. Methods Three muscle pairs (abductor pollicis brevis, abductor digiti minimi, and tibialis anterior) of 18 ALS patients and 18 controls underwent muscle ultrasound (echointensity and thickness) and assessment of motor unit number index (MUNIX). The clinical and functional status of participants were also assessed. Results Mean age of the patients was 53.8 ± 12.1 years, and score on the ALS Functional Rating Scale—Revised was 38.9 ± 4.1. Echointensity of all tested muscles of ALS participants was significantly higher than that of controls, but there was no significant difference in muscle thickness. Muscle echointensity correlated significantly with clinical and electrophysiological parameters. Conclusion Echointensity of muscles was highly associated with clinical scales and MUNIX, confirming its relevance as an ancillary diagnostic test in ALS patients.