Muscle Quality and Structural Changes in Stroke Patients: An Ultrasonographic Evaluation

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate muscle changes in stroke patients by assessing muscle diameter and muscle quality using ultrasonography. Materials and Methods: Forty male stroke patients and forty healthy male volunteers who fulfilled the predefined criteria were enrolled in the stu...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: İlhan Celil Özbek, Özgür Akgül, Canan Tıkız, Zeliha Ünlü, Lale Cerrahoğlu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Galenos Publishing House 2025-08-01
Series:Türk Osteoporoz Dergisi
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.turkosteoporozdergisi.org/articles/muscle-quality-and-structural-changes-in-stroke-patients-an-ultrasonographic-evaluation/doi/tod.galenos.2025.67934
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849247379857866752
author İlhan Celil Özbek
Özgür Akgül
Canan Tıkız
Zeliha Ünlü
Lale Cerrahoğlu
author_facet İlhan Celil Özbek
Özgür Akgül
Canan Tıkız
Zeliha Ünlü
Lale Cerrahoğlu
author_sort İlhan Celil Özbek
collection DOAJ
description Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate muscle changes in stroke patients by assessing muscle diameter and muscle quality using ultrasonography. Materials and Methods: Forty male stroke patients and forty healthy male volunteers who fulfilled the predefined criteria were enrolled in the study. The patient group was evaluated with the Brunnstrom Lower Extremity Motor Evaluation, the Modified Ashworth Scale, the Functional Independence Measure, and the Functional Ambulation Scale. Diameter measurements of the quadriceps femoris muscle, were taken with B-mode ultrasonography, and shear wave elastography (SWE) values were recorded for both groups. Results: Stroke patients’ quadriceps femoris muscle diameter was significantly lower than that of controls (p<0.001), while SWE measurements exhibited no significant difference (p>0.05). Subgroup analysis based on stroke duration revealed lower diameter measurements in acute-subacute and chronic stroke patients compared to controls (both p<0.001), with no difference between stroke groups (p>0.05). Similarly, regardless of ambulation status, stroke patients had significantly lower quadriceps femoris muscle diameter than controls (p<0.001), with no disparity between ambulation groups (p>0.05). There was no significant difference in the groups’ SWE measurements (p>0.05). Conclusion: These results suggest a decrease in muscle thickness without deterioration in muscle quality. At this point, we believe that simultaneous evaluation with B-mode ultrasonography and elastography during ultrasonographic assessment of muscle changes will provide more objective results. This approach may help us more accurately understand the relationship between the quality and quantity of muscle tissue.
format Article
id doaj-art-eb68bbc20bb2481080ab28608394f5d6
institution Kabale University
issn 2147-2653
language English
publishDate 2025-08-01
publisher Galenos Publishing House
record_format Article
series Türk Osteoporoz Dergisi
spelling doaj-art-eb68bbc20bb2481080ab28608394f5d62025-08-20T03:58:14ZengGalenos Publishing HouseTürk Osteoporoz Dergisi2147-26532025-08-01312687510.4274/tod.galenos.2025.67934Muscle Quality and Structural Changes in Stroke Patients: An Ultrasonographic Evaluationİlhan Celil Özbek0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0508-8868Özgür Akgül1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3012-2968Canan Tıkız2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0172-4874Zeliha Ünlü3https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2270-0414Lale Cerrahoğlu4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8911-6741University of Health Sciences Türkiye, Kocaeli Derince Training and Research Hospital, Clinic of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Kocaeli, TürkiyeManisa Celal Bayar University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Manisa, TürkiyeManisa Celal Bayar University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Manisa, TürkiyeManisa Celal Bayar University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Manisa, TürkiyeMedical Point Hospital, Clinic of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, İzmir, TürkiyeObjective: The aim of this study is to evaluate muscle changes in stroke patients by assessing muscle diameter and muscle quality using ultrasonography. Materials and Methods: Forty male stroke patients and forty healthy male volunteers who fulfilled the predefined criteria were enrolled in the study. The patient group was evaluated with the Brunnstrom Lower Extremity Motor Evaluation, the Modified Ashworth Scale, the Functional Independence Measure, and the Functional Ambulation Scale. Diameter measurements of the quadriceps femoris muscle, were taken with B-mode ultrasonography, and shear wave elastography (SWE) values were recorded for both groups. Results: Stroke patients’ quadriceps femoris muscle diameter was significantly lower than that of controls (p<0.001), while SWE measurements exhibited no significant difference (p>0.05). Subgroup analysis based on stroke duration revealed lower diameter measurements in acute-subacute and chronic stroke patients compared to controls (both p<0.001), with no difference between stroke groups (p>0.05). Similarly, regardless of ambulation status, stroke patients had significantly lower quadriceps femoris muscle diameter than controls (p<0.001), with no disparity between ambulation groups (p>0.05). There was no significant difference in the groups’ SWE measurements (p>0.05). Conclusion: These results suggest a decrease in muscle thickness without deterioration in muscle quality. At this point, we believe that simultaneous evaluation with B-mode ultrasonography and elastography during ultrasonographic assessment of muscle changes will provide more objective results. This approach may help us more accurately understand the relationship between the quality and quantity of muscle tissue.https://www.turkosteoporozdergisi.org/articles/muscle-quality-and-structural-changes-in-stroke-patients-an-ultrasonographic-evaluation/doi/tod.galenos.2025.67934strokemuscle qualityultrasonographyelasticity imaging techniques
spellingShingle İlhan Celil Özbek
Özgür Akgül
Canan Tıkız
Zeliha Ünlü
Lale Cerrahoğlu
Muscle Quality and Structural Changes in Stroke Patients: An Ultrasonographic Evaluation
Türk Osteoporoz Dergisi
stroke
muscle quality
ultrasonography
elasticity imaging techniques
title Muscle Quality and Structural Changes in Stroke Patients: An Ultrasonographic Evaluation
title_full Muscle Quality and Structural Changes in Stroke Patients: An Ultrasonographic Evaluation
title_fullStr Muscle Quality and Structural Changes in Stroke Patients: An Ultrasonographic Evaluation
title_full_unstemmed Muscle Quality and Structural Changes in Stroke Patients: An Ultrasonographic Evaluation
title_short Muscle Quality and Structural Changes in Stroke Patients: An Ultrasonographic Evaluation
title_sort muscle quality and structural changes in stroke patients an ultrasonographic evaluation
topic stroke
muscle quality
ultrasonography
elasticity imaging techniques
url https://www.turkosteoporozdergisi.org/articles/muscle-quality-and-structural-changes-in-stroke-patients-an-ultrasonographic-evaluation/doi/tod.galenos.2025.67934
work_keys_str_mv AT ilhancelilozbek musclequalityandstructuralchangesinstrokepatientsanultrasonographicevaluation
AT ozgurakgul musclequalityandstructuralchangesinstrokepatientsanultrasonographicevaluation
AT canantıkız musclequalityandstructuralchangesinstrokepatientsanultrasonographicevaluation
AT zelihaunlu musclequalityandstructuralchangesinstrokepatientsanultrasonographicevaluation
AT lalecerrahoglu musclequalityandstructuralchangesinstrokepatientsanultrasonographicevaluation