Intramuscular Temperature on the Echo-textural Characteristics

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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Echointensity and echotexture have been used as a physiological marker for changes in skeletal muscle quality and structure caused by physical training, low activity, ageing and some neuromuscular disorders. However, there are some influencing factors on muscle echo-intensity and echotexture, such as temperature, which may not be taken into account when performing an ultrasound assessment and may alter the results. This study aims to investigate the effects of muscle temperature on echointensity and other 2nd order echotextures variables such as homogeneity, contrast, correlation and entropy of muscle tissue, in order to gain a better understanding of this correlation and minimise its influence, which would allow greater precision in the use of muscle ultrasound as a diagnostic tool. The methodology of this study includes firstly the acquisition of ultrasound images of the vastus lateralis muscle. This acquisition will be performed during the continuous recording of muscle temperature, carried out during a passive cooling process after 20 min of heating using microwave equipment. In addition, to standardise the results, a correction factor will be calculated to compensate for the influence of subcutaneous adipose tissue thickness on echogenicity and echotexture.

Official Title
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Influence of Intramuscular Temperature on the Textural Characteristics of the B-mode Ultrasound Image.

Conditions
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Healthy Subjects

Intervention / Treatment
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* Device: Muscle warm-up


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Acceptance of participation in the study. Healthy subjects. Subjects between the ages of 18 and 65. Exclusion Criteria: Have known neurological, cardiovascular, metabolic or orthopedic conditions that prevent them from participating in the study. Present metal implants in the heating area. Wear a pacemaker. Perform physical activity during the 48 hours prior to data collection. Contraindications of dry needling such as: Belonephobia, history of abnormal reaction to the puncture or injection, anticoagulant treatment or thrombocytopenia, lymphedema over the area of intervention, severely compromised immune system, vascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, pregnancy, epilepsy, allergy to metals or that the intervention area has wounds, scars, tattoos, or stains.

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 65 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Other
Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Muscle temperature<br>Heating the vastus lateralis of the right quadriceps using microwaves | Device: Muscle warm-up<br>* Passive heating of the vastus lateralis of the right quadriceps will be performed using a microwave device. The device will be set at a power of 150 W and a distance of 10-15 cm from the skin surface for 20 minutes with the purpose of increasing local muscle temperature to 40 ºC.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Muscle echointensity (0-255 a.u.). | Muscle echointensity is calculated by the mean gray level value of the muscle Range of Interest (ROI). (0-255 a.u.) | During intervention | 
| Muscle echovariance (0-255 a.u.). | The echovariance is determined by the relationship between the standard deviation and the average pixel intensity obtained from the histogram of the muscle ROI. (0-255 a.u.) | During intervention | 
| Muscle energy or second angular momentum. | It is a second order parameter (GLCM) that measures textural uniformity of the muscle ROI | During intervention | 
| Muscle homogeneity. | It is a second-order parameter (GLCM) that measures the uniformity of the muscle ROI composition. | During intervention | 
| Contrast. | It is a second-order parameter (GLCM) that measures local variations in gray levels of the muscle ROI. | During intervention | 
| Textural Correlation. | It is a second-order parameter (GLCM) that expresses linear gray-level dependencies of the muscle ROI. | During intervention | 
| Entropy. | It is a second-order parameter (GLCM) to measure muscle ROI disorder. | During intervention | 
| Echointensity correction factor for adipose thickness | The measurement of subcutaneous adipose thickness will be carried out through the average of the distance from the skin to the aponeurosis coinciding with the superficial interface of the muscle and with different pressures of the probe on the skin. This measure will be used to develop a correction factor that allows compensating the influence of this variable on echogenicity and echotexture, standardizing the results. | Pre-intervention | 
| Muscle temperature (ºC). | Measurement of intramuscular temperature of the right vastus lateralis of the quadriceps (ºC) | Pre-intervention and during intervention | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Age (years) | Subject's age (years) | Pre-intervention | 
| Sex (female or male) | Subject's sex (female or male) | Pre-intervention | 
| Dominance | Dominant leg (right-left) | Pre-intervention | 
| Body mass index | It is a measure of body fat based on height and weight that applies to adult men and women | Pre-intervention | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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muscle, temperature, texture, ultrasound, echo intensity