Cited by 57Ultrasound Imaging and ElastographyUltrasonics and Acoustic Wave PropagationUltrasound in Clinical Applications

Skeletal Muscle Assessment Using Quantitative Ultrasound: A Narrative Review

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Ashir, Aria, Jerban, Saeed, Barrère, Victor, Wu, Yuanshan, Shah, Sameer B., Andre, Michael P., Chang, Eric Y.·2023·Sensors

Abstract

Ultrasound (US) is an important imaging tool for skeletal muscle analysis. The advantages of US include point-of-care access, real-time imaging, cost-effectiveness, and absence of ionizing radiation. However, US can be highly dependent on the operator and/or US system, and a portion of the potentially useful information carried by raw sonographic data is discarded in image formation for routine qualitative US. Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) methods provide analysis of the raw or post-processed data, revealing additional information about normal tissue structure and disease status. There are four QUS categories that can be used on muscle and are important to review. First, quantitative data derived from B-mode images can help determine the macrostructural anatomy and microstructural morphology of muscle tissues. Second, US elastography can provide information about muscle elasticity or stiffness through strain elastography or shear wave elastography (SWE). Strain elastography measures the induced tissue strain caused either by internal or external compression by tracking tissue displacement with detectable speckle in B-mode images of the examined tissue. SWE measures the speed of induced shear waves traveling through the tissue to estimate the tissue elasticity. These shear waves may be produced using external mechanical vibrations or internal “push pulse” ultrasound stimuli. Third, raw radiofrequency signal analyses provide estimates of fundamental tissue parameters, such as the speed of sound, attenuation coefficient, and backscatter coefficient, which correspond to information about muscle tissue microstructure and composition. Lastly, envelope statistical analyses apply various probability distributions to estimate the number density of scatterers and quantify coherent to incoherent signals, thus providing information about microstructural properties of muscle tissue. This review will examine these QUS techniques, published results on QUS evaluation of skeletal muscles, and the strengths and limitations of QUS in skeletal muscle analysis.

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Authors
Ashir, A., Jerban, S., Barrère, V., Wu, Y., Shah, S. B., Andre, M. P., & Chang, E. Y.
Affiliations
  • Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital (US)
  • University of California San Diego (US)
  • Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, CA 92093, USA
Corresponding author
Ashir, Aria
Venue
Sensors
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2023-05-15
Volume
23
Issue
10
Pages
4763
ISSN
1424-8220 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W4376956910
Cited by
57
References
122
Citations by year
2026: 18 · 2025: 22 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 2
FWCI
2.41
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Sensors (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
  • U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (I01CX001388, I01BX005952, I01CX002118-01, R01AR075825, K01AR080257, W81XWH-20-1-0927)
  • National Institutes of Health (I01CX001388, I01BX005952, I01CX002118-01, R01AR075825, K01AR080257, W81XWH-20-1-0927)
  • Department of Defense (I01CX001388, I01BX005952, I01CX002118-01, R01AR075825, K01AR080257, W81XWH-20-1-0927)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging › Ultrasound Imaging and Elastography
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Mechanics of Materials › Ultrasonics and Acoustic Wave Propagation
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Critical Care and Intensive Care Medicine › Ultrasound in Clinical Applications
Keywords
quantitative ultrasound, skeletal muscle, shear wave elastography, strain elastography, sound velocity, attenuation coefficient, backscattering coefficient, muscle microstructure, muscle stiffness
MeSH terms
Heart Rate, Ultrasonography, Muscle, Skeletal, Data Compression, Elasticity Imaging Techniques

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