posted on 2019-04-30, 13:38authored byDouglas W. Gould, Emma L. Watson, Thomas J. Wilkinson, Joanne Wormleighton, Soteris Xenophontos, Alice C. Smith
Background
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a catabolic condition associated with muscle wasting
and dysfunction, which associates with morbidity and mortality. There is a need for
simple techniques capable of monitoring changes in muscle size with disease
progression and in response to interventions aiming to increase muscle mass and
function. Ultrasound is one such technique, however it is unknown how well changes
in muscle cross sectional area measured using ultrasound relate to changes in whole
muscle volume measured using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We tested whether
rectus femoris CSA (RF-CSA) could be used as a valid indication of changes in
quadriceps muscle volume as a single measure of muscle size and following a 12-week
exercise intervention that resulted in muscle hypertrophy.
Methods
Secondary analysis of data from the ExTra CKD study (ISRCTN 36489137).
Quadriceps muscle size was assessed from thirty-six patients with non-dialysis CKD
before and after 12-weeks of supervised exercise that resulted in muscle hypertrophy.
Results
Strong positive correlations were observed between RF-CSA and quadriceps volume
at baseline (r2 = .815, CI 0.661 to 0.903; p<.001) and following 12-weeks exercise (r2
= .845, CI 0.700 to 0.923; p<.001). A moderate positive association was also observed
between changes in RF-CSA and quadriceps following exercise training (rho=.441, CI
0.085 to 0.697; p=.015). Bland-Altman analysis revealed a small bias (bias 0.6% ±
12.5) between the mean percentage changes in RF-CSA and quadriceps volume but
wide limits of agreement from -24 to 25.
Conclusions
RF-CSA appears to be a reliable index of total quadriceps volume as a simple measure
of muscle size, both as a single observation and in response to exercise training in
non-dialysis CKD patients.
Funding
The research was supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Leicester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC).
History
Citation
Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle, 2019, 10(4), pp. 748-755
Author affiliation
/Organisation/COLLEGE OF LIFE SCIENCES/School of Medicine/Department of Health Sciences