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Assessing paraspinal muscle atrophy with electrical impedance myography: Limitations and insights.

Authors :
Guven, Ali E.
Chiapparelli, Erika
Camino‐Willhuber, Gaston
Zhu, Jiaqi
Schönnagel, Lukas
Amoroso, Krizia
Caffard, Thomas
Erduran, Ada
Shue, Jennifer
Sama, Andrew A.
Girardi, Federico P.
Cammisa, Frank P.
Hughes, Alexander P.
Source :
Journal of Orthopaedic Research; Sep2024, Vol. 42 Issue 9, p2072-2079, 8p
Publication Year :
2024

Abstract

Paraspinal muscle atrophy is gaining attention in spine surgery due to its link to back pain, spinal degeneration and worse postoperative outcomes. Electrical impedance myography (EIM) is a noninvasive diagnostic tool for muscle quality assessment, primarily utilized for patients with neuromuscular diseases. However, EIM's accuracy for paraspinal muscle assessment remains understudied. In this study, we investigated the correlation between EIM readings and MRI‐derived muscle parameters, as well as the influence of dermal and subcutaneous parameters on these readings. We retrospectively analyzed patients with lumbar spinal degeneration who underwent paraspinal EIM assessment between May 2023 to July 2023. Paraspinal muscle fatty infiltration (FI) and functional cross‐sectional area (fCSA), as well as the subcutaneous thickness were assessed on MRI scans. Skin ultrasound imaging was assessed for dermal thickness and the echogenicities of the dermal and subcutaneous layers. All measurements were performed on the bilaterally. The correlation between EIM readings were compared with ultrasound and MRI parameters using Spearman's correlation analyses. A total of 20 patients (65.0% female) with a median age of 69.5 years (IQR, 61.3–73.8) were analyzed. The fCSA and FI did not significantly correlate with the EIM readings, regardless of frequency. All EIM readings across frequencies correlated with subcutaneous thickness, echogenicity, or dermal thickness. With the current methodology, paraspinal EIM is not a valid alternative to MRI assessment of muscle quality, as it is strongly influenced by the dermal and subcutaneous layers. Further studies are required for refining the methodology and confirming our results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
07360266
Volume :
42
Issue :
9
Database :
Complementary Index
Journal :
Journal of Orthopaedic Research
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
178782759
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1002/jor.25848