Ultrasonographic Measurement of Severe Sarcopenia in the Elderly Subject

Sarcopenia is a progressive muscular disease. The European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People revised protocols to include the F-A-C-S procedure. Sarcopenia severity is assessed by physical performance tests. However, these tests can be influenced by various factors. Ultrasound offers a more objective method for measuring muscle mass and assessing sarcopenia severity. This study aims to determine reliable ultrasound measurements for objectively evaluating sarcopenia severity in older adults.

A prospective study was conducted, assessing 200 patients over 75, with sarcopenia identified via SARC-F questionnaire, grip strength, and chair stand test. Ultrasound measured muscle thickness in the rectus femoris and other muscles. Comparative analyses divided patients into nonsevere sarcopenia and severe sarcopenia groups, with receiver operating characteristic curves and logistic regression to evaluate ultrasound measurements' discriminative power.

Muscle thickness, particularly of the rectus femoris, significantly correlated with sarcopenia severity. Ultrasound measurements accurately discriminated sarcopenia severity with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.629. Logistic regression confirmed rectus femoris thickness as a predictive measure for severe sarcopenia.

Ultrasound measurement of rectus femoris muscle thickness is a promising tool for diagnosing sarcopenia severity, enhancing early identification and improving management strategies for the elderly.