Quantification of muscle morphology and stiffness in spastic hemiplegic cerebral palsy versus typically developing...

Increased muscle stiffness is common in cerebral palsy, but accurate and reliable methods for quantitative assessment are not established for cerebral palsy. Magnetic resonance elastography provides a robust approach to mapping skeletal muscle properties. This study aimed to assess muscle morphology and stiffness in the gastrocnemius-soleus complex in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy, comparing more affected and less affected sides, and to legs of typically developing children.

Eleven children (age 11.5 ± 4.1 years) with spastic hemiplegic cerebral palsy (Gross Motor Function Classification System levels I/II; no botulinum toxin injections within 6 months) and fifteen typically developing children (age 13.1 ± 4.5 years) were prospectively enrolled. Magnetic resonance elastography measured both legs in participants with cerebral palsy and the dominant leg in controls. Additional imaging assessed muscle volume, cross-sectional area, and contractile to non-contractile tissue ratio. Normalized stiffness and anatomical features were compared between groups. Pearson correlations evaluated associations with age and between imaging measures.

Normalized stiffness in soleus was significantly higher in the more affected leg in unilateral cerebral palsy than the less affected leg (471 vs 328 Pa/cm², p = 0.010) and the contractile tissue ratio also differed significantly (7.44 vs 10.25, p = 0.002). Gastrocnemius and soleus cross-sectional areas were reduced in the more affected side relative to controls, more markedly in soleus. Soleus stiffness showed significant positive correlations with age.

Results suggest increased stiffness and reduced contractile tissue in the soleus of the more affected leg in cerebral palsy, supporting the utility of magnetic resonance elastography in characterizing muscle pathology.