The ULTRA Study: Cross-Comparison of Muscle Composition Measures in Multiple Ultrasound Systems

The purpose of this study is to develop computational methods for cross-comparison of muscle composition measurements in three laboratory ultrasound systems. We propose a cross-sectional study to obtain ultrasound images of selected muscles in Veteran participants. These data will be used to develop conversion models for each system. Evaluation of neuromuscular symptoms such as muscle weakness and fatigue is crucial to improving quality of life among Veterans. These symptoms may be related to progressive changes in muscle tissue composition, including increased intramuscular fat and atrophy. Quantitative musculoskeletal ultrasound is a diagnostic imaging application used to characterize muscle tissue composition. Despite its non-invasiveness and relative low cost, quantitative musculoskeletal ultrasound has not been widely adopted by the medical community due in part to technical barriers that impede generalization of measurements across ultrasound systems. Unfortunately, few techniques have been proposed to reliably compare system measurements. Development of new cross-comparison methods could expand quantitative musculoskeletal ultrasound applications and improve neuromuscular symptoms diagnosis.