A New Method of Muscle Strength Testing Using a Quantitative Ultrasonic Technique and a Convolutional Neural Network

In addition to muscle thickness and average echo intensity, this study aimed to use quantitative ultrasonic technology to increase the number of related parameters of power Doppler ultrasonography measured to describe the number, quality, and recruitment level of muscles. In addition, this method was compared with the existing muscle strength testing methods. Image recognition was performed using the traditional multivariate linear regression statistical method and the AI convolutional neural network algorithm to investigate the application of quantitative ultrasonic technology for direct evaluation of muscle strength in clinical practice.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Muscle Disorder
• Intervention / Treatment: Diagnostic test: quantitative ultrasonic technique

Detailed Description

Collection of all quantitative ultrasonic data was performed by one ultrasound physician. The Aixplorer® series color ultrasonic diagnostic instrument of Supersonic Imagine (France) and an L15-4 linear array probe were used. The medial head of the quadriceps muscle was measured. The subjects wore short pants that settled above the knees. Tight pants were avoided to prevent impaired venous return, which can affect the power Doppler ultrasonography result. The subjects did not exercise within half an hour before testing. Two-dimensional images of the subjects' muscles were collected in a quiet resting state and used to measure muscle thickness and the average echo intensity. The power Doppler images were used to measure the level of muscle hyperemia. The measurements were performed in the 0° knee extension position and the most prominent part of the medial head of the quadriceps muscle was measured by the ultrasound physician using visualization. The probe angle was perpendicular to the trajectory of the muscle bundle, and the measurement was performed with the muscle in a relaxed state. After the measurements, the knee was restrained to complete the isokinetic muscle strength test. When testing of the last group was completed, the knee was released immediately. The two-dimensional image and the power Doppler image at the same location were captured and the image acquisition time was no more than 3 s.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 80

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• China
  • No State Or Province
    • Beijing, No State Or Province, China, 100191
      • Peking Univercity Third Hospital

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 55 years (ADULT)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

This study recruited 80 volunteers including 54 healthy volunteers, 24 unilateral quadriceps atrophy patients and 2 bilateral quadriceps atrophy patients

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• no major complaints of muscle numbness, spasm, or atrophy, muscle-related physical activity impairment or joint swelling and pain
• no obvious malformation in the lower limbs
• no disease history in the musculoskeletal system, nervous system, and peripheral blood,
• no history of severe trauma in the lower limbs
• joint mobility and muscle tension met the thresholds of muscle strength assessments
• no severe osteoporosis
• no acute inflammation or acute bone fracture repair
• between 18-55 years of age

Exclusion Criteria:

-

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Multivariate linear regression results	The quantitative ultrasonic technology parameters (muscle thickness, average muscle echo intensity, and corrected power ultrasonic intensity) and muscle strength parameter (knee extension peak torque) were introduced into SPSS 6.0 for data processing via multivariate linear correlation analysis.	2/6/2019

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Peking University Third Hospital
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Jingfeng Li, Bachelor, Peking University Third Hospital

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (ACTUAL): May 1, 2017
• Primary Completion (ACTUAL): May 15, 2019
• Study Completion (ACTUAL): June 1, 2019

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 11, 2019
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 31, 2019
• First Posted (ACTUAL): August 2, 2019

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (ACTUAL): August 2, 2019
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 31, 2019
• Last Verified: July 1, 2019

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Nervous System Diseases; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Neuromuscular Diseases; Muscular Diseases
• Other Study ID Numbers: M20190702

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No