Dorsiflexor muscle-group thickness in children with cerebral palsy: relation to cross-sectional area

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Cerebral palsy (CP) often affects muscle development and function.
• Accurate methods are needed to monitor muscle size changes in children with CP.
• Dorsiflexor muscle group is crucial for mobility and is frequently impacted in CP.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the validity and reliability of ultrasound-measured dorsiflexor muscle thickness.
• To compare muscle thickness with cross-sectional area (CSA) as a measure of muscle size.
• To assess the potential of muscle thickness measurements for monitoring interventions in children with CP.

Main Methods:

• Ultrasound was used to measure dorsiflexor muscle thickness.
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) was used to determine dorsiflexor muscle cross-sectional area (CSA).
• Measurements were taken at 35% of lower leg length in nine children with spastic CP and six healthy subjects for reliability.

Main Results:

• A strong correlation (r² = 0.778) was found between muscle thickness and CSA in children with CP.
• Muscle thickness measurements demonstrated high test-retest reliability (ICC(2.1) = 0.94) in healthy subjects.
• Affected legs in hemiplegic CP showed significantly reduced muscle thickness (22%) and CSA (32%) compared to unaffected legs.

Conclusions:

• Ultrasound measurement of dorsiflexor muscle thickness is a reliable method.
• Muscle thickness measurements accurately reflect dorsiflexor cross-sectional area in children with cerebral palsy.
• This technique offers a viable tool for monitoring muscle size changes in response to interventions in pediatric CP.