Reliability and comparison of sonographic methods for in vivo measurement of human biceps femoris long-head architecture

Abstract

Introduction: Biceps femoris long-head fascicle length ( Lf ), fascicle angle (FA), and muscle thickness (MT) estimates obtained across 2 d from extended field-of-view (EFOV) sonographic images were compared with those measured from a collage of single ultrasound images (to visualize entire fascicles) as well as a range of geometric equations and extrapolation methods used on single images. Both test validity and intraday reliability were determined. Methods: Twenty healthy adults (10 men and 10 women) were tested on two occasions (day 1 and day 2), 7 d apart at the same time of day for test-retest measurements. Ultrasound imaging was performed using EFOV and static image acquisition sequences; in the latter, four single images were acquired in-series along the muscle. From these images, Lf was assessed using seven methods: EFOV, collage, manual linear extrapolation, and four different trigonometric equations (termed equations A, B, C, and D), and FA and MT were measured in EFOV, collage, and single images. Results: Lf , FA, and MT measured on days 1 and 2 were not different ( P > 0.05) for any method, reliabilities were very high (intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.91- 0.98), and correlations were strong ( ≥ 0.84). Significant correlations ( P < 0.05; r = 0.67- 0.98) were found between EFOV and the other measurement techniques for Lf , FA, and MT. The collage method had the highest reliability for Lf , and highest rank order and correlation with EFOV. Conclusions: Although the six different techniques used to estimate Lf provided values similar to EFOV, higher between-subject measurement variability was observed with trigonometric equations, and the collage method described herein provided the most accurate and reliable results and is therefore recommended for biceps femoris long-head architectural analysis when EFOV is not available.

RAS ID

54054

Document Type

Journal Article

Date of Publication

12-1-2022

Volume

54

Issue

12

PubMed ID

35941523

School

Centre for Exercise and Sports Science Research

Copyright

subscription content

Publisher

Wolters Kluwer

Comments

Brusco, C. M., Pinto, R. S., & Blazevich, A. J. (2022). Reliability and comparison of sonographic methods for in vivo measurement of human biceps femoris long-head architecture. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 54(12), 2216-2226. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000003015

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Link to publisher version (DOI)

10.1249/MSS.0000000000003015