Shear wave elastography of the lateral abdominal muscles in C-shaped idiopathic scoliosis: a case–control study

Abstract

Considering that knowledge about lateral abdominal muscles (LAM) in idiopathic scoliosis (IS) is still very limited, the aims of this study were: (a) to compare LAM thickness and elasticity between C-shaped IS and non-scoliotic population; and (b) to compare LAM thickness and elasticity between C-shaped thoracic, thoracolumbar, and lumbar IS. A total of 259 adolescents were included in the final analysis; among these, 108 were IS and 151 were non-IS. LAM thickness and elasticity were measured at rest and during isometric contraction by an Aixplorer ultrasound scanner. Out of all LAM, only OE thickness was higher on the convex body side compared to the concave side in lumbar and thoracolumbar scoliosis. It may be related with muscle’s atrophy/hypertrophy or other tissues displacement rather than different force generated by the muscle on both body sides, because an asymmetry in the elasticity of the LAM between the convex and concave side was not presented. The only TrA was stiffer in lumbar scoliosis compared to thoracolumbar and thoracic scoliosis. LAM elasticity was similar in IS and non-IS adolescents.

Intra-Rater Reliability of Shear Wave Elastography for the Quantification of Respiratory Muscles in Adolescent Athletes

“…Respiratory muscle morphology (mainly the diaphragm and intercostal muscles) can be assessed using ultrasound imaging (US) [6][7][8][9]. Recently, shear wave elastography (SWE) as a new, non-invasive US imaging technique, has allowed the assessment of muscle's mechanical properties [10,11]. It has been suggested that SWE may be used as an index of diaphragmatic force change [12], and that the diaphragm shear modulus measured using SWE is related to transdiaphragmatic pressure [13,14], which is considered the gold standard in diaphragm evaluation.…”

Lateral Abdominal Muscles Shear Modulus and Thickness Measurements under Controlled Ultrasound Probe Compression by External Force Sensor: A Comparison and Reliability Study

“…For the last few decades, B-mode ultrasound imaging (USI) has been used to assess muscles' geometry. In some cases, USI has been used to assess lateral abdominal muscles (LAMs) thickness or thickness change at rest and during various movements because the potential role of LAM in low back pain (LBP) [1][2][3] and scoliosis [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] was verified. Recently, quantitative shear wave ultrasound elastography (SWE) has also been developed and used to study muscle shear modulus [12] and refer it to muscles' elasticity.…”

Use of Shear Wave Elastography in Pediatric Musculoskeletal Disorders

“…Therefore, studies evaluating muscle stiffness with SWE and investigating muscle imbalance have been conducted to clarify the etiology of scoliosis. It has been suggested that this asymmetrical load may be caused by the paravertebral and lateral abdominal muscles consisting of the transversus abdominis (TrA), obliquus internal (OI), and obliquus external (OE) [32,33]. Liu the convex side of scoliosis [32].…”

“…Liu the convex side of scoliosis [32]. In a study examining the stiffness of the lateral abdominal muscles (TrA, OI, and OE), it was stated that there were no differences between healthy control and AIS groups in terms of muscles stiffness at rest and during isometric contraction and also there was no muscles stiffness asymmetry between the concave and the convex sides of scoliosis [33]. In addition, the same research group found that stiffness measurements of the lateral abdominal muscles were carried out with high reliability/agreement during contraction, while the reliability of the stiffness measurements ranged from moderate to excellent at rest [34].…”