title: Reliable protocol for shear wave elastography of lower limb muscles at rest and during passive stretching.
abstract: Development of shear wave elastography gave access to non-invasive muscle stiffness assessment in vivo. The aim of the present study was to define a measurement protocol to be used in clinical routine for quantifying the shear modulus of lower limb muscles. Four positions were defined to evaluate shear modulus in 10 healthy subjects: parallel to the fibers, in the anterior and posterior aspects of the lower limb, at rest and during passive stretching. Reliability was first evaluated on two muscles by three operators; these measurements were repeated six times. Then, measurement reliability was compared in 11 muscles by two operators; these measurements were repeated three times. Reproducibility of shear modulus was 0.48 kPa and repeatability was 0.41 kPa, with all muscles pooled. Position did not significantly influence reliability. Shear wave elastography appeared to be an appropriate and reliable tool to evaluate the shear modulus of lower limb muscles with the proposed protocol.
authors.affiliation: LBM/Institut de Biomécanique Humaine Georges Charpark, Arts et Métiers ParisTech, 151 Boulevard de l'Hôpital, Paris 75013, France. Electronic address: guillaume.dubois@ensam.eu.
authors.forename: Guillaume
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dubois
authors.affiliation: LBM/Institut de Biomécanique Humaine Georges Charpark, Arts et Métiers ParisTech, 151 Boulevard de l'Hôpital, Paris 75013, France.
authors.forename: Walid
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kheireddine
authors.affiliation: LBM/Institut de Biomécanique Humaine Georges Charpark, Arts et Métiers ParisTech, 151 Boulevard de l'Hôpital, Paris 75013, France.
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vergari
authors.affiliation: LBM/Institut de Biomécanique Humaine Georges Charpark, Arts et Métiers ParisTech, 151 Boulevard de l'Hôpital, Paris 75013, France.
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bonneau
authors.affiliation: LBM/Institut de Biomécanique Humaine Georges Charpark, Arts et Métiers ParisTech, 151 Boulevard de l'Hôpital, Paris 75013, France; Universite Paris XIII, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Thoreux
authors.affiliation: LBM/Institut de Biomécanique Humaine Georges Charpark, Arts et Métiers ParisTech, 151 Boulevard de l'Hôpital, Paris 75013, France.
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rouch
authors.affiliation: Institut Langevin, Laboratoire Ondes et Acoustique, CNRS UMR 7587, ESPCI ParisTech, PSL, INSERM ERL U979, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Mickael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tanter
authors.affiliation: Institut Langevin, Laboratoire Ondes et Acoustique, CNRS UMR 7587, ESPCI ParisTech, PSL, INSERM ERL U979, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Jean-Luc
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Gennisson
authors.affiliation: LBM/Institut de Biomécanique Humaine Georges Charpark, Arts et Métiers ParisTech, 151 Boulevard de l'Hôpital, Paris 75013, France.
authors.forename: Wafa
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Skalli
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000465:Algorithms; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D007866:Leg / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D052580:Muscle Stretching Exercises; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000502:physiology*; D056888:Patient Positioning / Q000379:methods*; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012146:Rest; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D033081:Shear Strength / Q000502:physiology; D013314:Stress, Mechanical
keywords: Elastography; Lower limb; Muscle; Reliability; Shear modulus