Application of high-frequency ultrasound combined with virtual touch tissue imaging and quantification for assessing limb muscle tone after stroke / 中国基层医药

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate the clinical value of high-frequency ultrasound combined with virtual touch tissue imaging and quantification in the assessment of limb muscle tension after stroke in patients.Methods:A total of 31 patients with stroke who received treatment in Wenzhou Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine from January 2020 to May 2022 and 41 healthy controls who concurrently underwent physical examination in the same hospital were included in this study. Before rehabilitation treatment, the shear wave velocity of the main muscle groups of the limbs was measured using virtual touch tissue imaging and quantification in all participants. The shear wave velocity of the main muscle groups was compared between the affected and healthy sides of patients between two sides of patients. The patient's muscle tension was evaluated using the modified Ashworth Scale. The shear wave velocity of the affected muscle groups in patients was correlated with the modified Ashworth Scale score.Results:There were no significant differences in the shear wave velocities of the main muscle groups of upper (biceps, flexor digitorum sublimis, flexor digitorum profundus) and lower [medial head of the gastrocnemius muscle, lateral head of the gastrocnemius muscle] limbs between the left [(2.46 ± 0.26) m/s, (2.81 ± 0.50) m/s, (2.96 ± 0.31) m/s, (2.49 ± 0.44) m/s, (2.21 ± 0.20) m/s] and right [(2.42 ± 0.29) m/s, (2.80 ± 0.47) m/s, (3.02 ± 0.36) m/s, (2.54 ± 0.37) m/s, (2.18 ± 0.17) m/s] sides in healthy controls ( t = 0.78, 0.04, 0.83, 0.58, 1.15, P = 0.435, 0.967, 0.405, 0.558, 0.216). The shear wave velocities of the main muscle groups of upper [flexor digitorum sublimis (3.74 ± 0.67) m/s, flexor digitorum profundus (3.64 ± 0.60) m/s), biceps (3.63 ± 0.64) m/s] and lower [medial head of the gastrocnemius muscle (3.28 ± 0.61) m/s, lateral head of the gastrocnemius muscle (2.90 ± 0.37) m/s] limbs on the affected side in patients with stroke were significantly higher than (2.56 ± 0.40) m/s, (2.67 ± 0.38) m/s, (2.78 ± 0.41) m/s, (2.30 ± 0.21) m/s, (2.25 ± 0.23) m/s on the healthy side ( t = 11.81, 8.21, 8.75, 8.91, 10.43, all P < 0.001). The shear wave velocities of the main muscle groups of the upper (flexor digitorum sublimis, flexor digitorum profundus, and biceps) and lower (medial head of the gastrocnemius muscle and lateral head of the gastrocnemius muscle) limbs were positively correlated with the modified Ashworth Scale score ( r = 0.77, 0.70, 0.72, 0.74, 0.78, P = 0.007, 0.029, 0.021, 0.016, 0.001). Conclusion:Monitoring the shear wave velocities of the main muscle groups of the upper and lower limbs using high-frequency ultrasound combined with virtual touch tissue imaging and quantification can effectively reflect the change in limb muscle tension of patients with stroke, which is highly valuable for evaluating rehabilitation efficacy and prognosis in patients with stroke.