MUSCLE-ULTRASOUND EVALUATION IN HEALTHY PEDIATRIC SUBJECTS: AGE-RELATED NORMATIVE DATA

Introduction: The muscle ultrasound examination (MUS) is a noninvasive and inexpensive technique for evaluating neuromyopathies. Standardized MUS normative data are incomplete in pediatric subjects. Methods: We performed a MUS study with 120 healthy children (59 males; mean age, 10.44 years; age range, 2-16 years). We measured the width and the echogenicity bilaterally in the following muscles: biceps brachii and brachialis, brachioradialis, forearm-flexors, rectus femoris and vastus intermedius, tibialis anterior, extensor hallucis longus, lateral and medial gastrocnemius. Results: The muscle thickness increased with age for all muscles. Confidence limits were set for each age group muscle width. Echogenicity increased with age only in some muscles. Discussions: Our MUS study provides new data on physiological muscle structural changes in healthy children to address the limited available references in this age group.