Ultrasound muscle assessment for sarcopenia detection in inflammatory bowel disease: A prospective study

Abstract

BackgroundSarcopenia is prevalent in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and impacts surgical and therapeutic outcomes; thus, effective diagnostic tools are needed to assess muscle mass and function in this population.Methods153 consecutive patients were included, 100 in the training cohort and 53 in the study cohort. Three superficial muscles (rectus femoris = RF, rectus abdominis = RA, and biceps brachii = BB) were selected for the detection of sarcopenia using muscle ultrasound (US). The training cohort consisted of consecutive patients with or without IBD and was used to evaluate the feasibility and inter‐ and intra‐observer variability of the US measurement. The study cohort consisted of only IBD patients and served to test US diagnostic accuracy. In the latter, muscle US, bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were used to measure muscle parameters.ResultsSarcopenia prevalence in IBD patients was 50%. Muscle US showed excellent inter‐rater and intra‐rater reliability (ICC >0.95) and a good diagnostic accuracy in detecting sarcopenia compared to BIA with area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) values of 80% and 85% for RA and BB thickness, respectively. Moreover, an Ultrasound Muscle Index (USMI) was defined as the sum of the RA, BB, and RF thickness divided by the square of the patient's height, resulting in an AUROC of 81%. Muscle thresholds for sarcopenia were detected, with RA and USMI values correlated with the highest positive (84.3%) and negative (99%) predictive values, respectively. Additionally, the agreement between the US and MRI measurements of RA was excellent (ICC 0.96).ConclusionsThe findings of this study emphasize the potential of muscle US as a reliable diagnostic tool for assessing sarcopenia in IBD patients. This research has significant implications for disease management in IBD patients and underscores the need for further investigations to validate these findings in larger cohorts.

Expanding ultrasound horizons in inflammatory bowel disease: Beyond the bowel

“…[6][7][8] In this issue of the United European Gastroenterology Journal, Mulinacci and colleagues evaluated the potential of muscle ultrasound as a diagnostic tool of sarcopenia in IBD patients. 9 Measurements were performed in three superficial muscles-biceps brachii, rectus femoris and the rectus abdominis-in alignment with SARCUS working group recommendations. 5 Initially, the feasibility and reliability of ultrasound measurements was evaluated in a training cohort comprised of 100 patients (56 of which with IBD).…”