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Updated: Aug 12, 2026
Methods to Quantify Pharmacologically Induced Alterations in Motor Function in Human Incomplete SCI
Published on: April 18, 2011
Acute Ultrasonographic Changes in Lower Extremity Muscle Structure after Motor Complete Spinal Cord Injury
1Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore.
Background:
There is a lack of studies examining ultrasonographic muscle changes in patients with acute spinal cord injury (SCI).
Methods:
We recruited adults with motor complete acute SCI and performed longitudinal ultrasound measurements. The primary outcome measures were rectus femoris and medial gastrocnemius thickness and echo intensity.
Results:
This study recruited 20 patients, with a mean time to the first ultrasound measurement of 17.2 ± 2.14 days, with the second measurement done 4 weeks after the first measurement. We found that there was a mean decrease in the rectus femoris muscle thickness of 18.7% (P = 0.027), as well as a mean increase in the rectus femoris echo intensity of 13.0 a.u. (P = 0.009), although no significant differences were found for the medial gastrocnemius.
Conclusion:
This study demonstrates decreased thickness and increased echo intensity in the rectus femoris but not in the medial gastrocnemius in patients with motor complete SCI.
