Moving forward with the echo intensity mean analysis: Exploring echo intensity bands in different age groups

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Title

Experimental Gerontology

Volume

145

Publisher

Elsevier

School

School of Medical and Health Sciences / Centre for Exercise and Sports Science Research

RAS ID

39594

Funders

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico Edith Cowan University

Grant Number

0891853182960174

Comments

Pinto, R. S., & Pinto, M. D. (2021). Moving forward with the echo intensity mean analyses: Exploring echo intensity bands in different age groups. Experimental Gerontology, 145, article 111179. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exger.2020.111179

Abstract

© 2020 Elsevier Inc. This study compared ultrasound characteristics in youth, younger adults, and older adults using two different methods of analysis: based on clusters of pixel concentration of the grayscale (i.e. EI bands) and the traditionally calculated echo intensity mean. Forty-four healthy youth (13.3 ± 1.4 y), 22 younger adults (31.8 ± 10.1 y) and 53 older adults (66.7 ± 4.6 y) volunteered for the assessment of rectus femoris EI via ultrasonography. Pixel concentration (i.e. EI bands) was calculated in intervals of 0–50, 51–100, 101–150, 151–200, and 201–255 of the gray scale, while EI mean was determined as the average pixels from 0 to 255. EI0–50 significantly decreased with group age, while EI51–100, 101–150, 151–200, 201–255 and EI mean increased (P < 0.001). The differences between groups were greater using EI0–50 compared to the EI mean (i.e. EI0–50: youth = ~353% and younger adults = ~251% > older adults; whereas EI mean: youth = ~46% and younger adults = 29% < older adults). These results potentially indicate that EI bands method offer different information than the EI mean method. In addition, EI bands may be a promising approach to understand tissue-specific adaptations to physical training and neuromuscular diseases, yet future studies should validate this method.

DOI

10.1016/j.exger.2020.111179

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