Assessment Of Flexor Pollicis Longus Tendon Elasticity By Shear Wave Elastography In Different Populations

ObjectiveShear wave elastography is widely used in recent years.The purpose of this study is to further explore the elasticity of flexor pollicis longus tendon(FPLT)in different populations.Methods1.To explore the value of shear wave elastography in measuring FPLT elasticity.A total of 128 females composed of rheumatoid arthritis,FPLT tenosynovitis and healthy controls were selected as the research objects.Of which 99 were divided into control group,aged 22-71 years old,15 were divided into rheumatoid arthritis group,aged 23-64 years old,and 14 were divided into FPLT tenosynovitis group,aged 39-67 years old.Shear wave elastography was used to collect FPLT elasticity values of normal control group,rheumatoid arthritis group and FPLT tenosynovitis group,and to compare the elasticity values between different groups.Using super microvascular imaging technology and power Doppler technology to evaluate the blood flow of the tendon sheath between each group.2.Shear wave elastography technology quantitatively assesses the degree of muscle spasm in stroke patients.On the basis of the above-mentioned preliminary experiment,we additionally selected 95 healthy men from June 2019 to September 2019,with the above 99 healthy women,to form a new control group including194 cases,aged 18-75 years old.55 stroke patients aged 19-77 years old were enrolled in the study.Shear wave elastography was used to measure the elasticity of the FPLT.We assessed the effect of sex and age on FPLT elasticity in healthy volunteers and compared the elasticity between healthy and stroke group.Modified Ashworth Scale(MAS)was used to grade the muscle tone of stroke patients,the relationship between elasticity value and MAS grade was analyzed.Result1.Preliminary experiments to explore the value of shear wave elastography in measuring the elasticity of FPLT.Preliminary experiments show that: healthy control people,rheumatoid arthritis and FPLT stenosing tenosynovitis patients have different elastic values.The FPLT elasticity of normal women under 30 years old,30 to 50 years old,and over 50 years old are 4.47±0.40 m/s,5.47±0.87m/s and 6.43±0.92 m/s,respectively,P<0.05;the elasticity of the healthy control group,rheumatoid group and tenosynovitis group are5.49±1.11 m/s,5.45±1.06 m/s and 6.70±1.14 m/s,respectively.There is no significant difference between the healthy control group and the rheumatoid group,while the difference between the tenosynovitis group and the other two groups is significant,p < 0.05.When comparing the blood flow signals,the tenosynovitis group are the most abundant,and the super microvascular imaging is more sensitive than power Doppler.2.Shear wave elastography technology quantitatively assesses the degree of muscle spasm in stroke patientsThere are statistical differences in the elasticity of the FPLT between men(5.96±1.13m/s)and women(5.49±1.06 m/s)in the healthy control group,and the elasticity of FPLT in the healthy control group is linearly correlated with age,the correlation coefficient is 0.796.There is no significant difference in the elasticity of FPLT in patients with different courses and different etiologies of stroke.The elasticity of FPLT in patients with different muscle tension grades is statistically different except for grade 1 and grade 1+,and the elasticity value of grade 3 is the highest,P<0.01.The normal group(6.40±0.98m/s),the healthy side(5.78±0.81m/s),and the affected side(6.92±0.98m/s)of stroke patients have different elasticity,P<0.01.ConclusionPreliminary tests show that the elasticity of the FPLT of healthy women is different in different age groups;there is no difference in the elasticity value between the healthy control group and the rheumatoid arthritis group.The elastic value of tenosynovitis group is different from that of normal group and rheumatoid arthritis group,and the elastic value is the largest.The follow-up studies supplement the initial test results,showing that the FPLT elasticity of healthy people is related to age and gender,and the FPLT elasticity of the affected side is higher than that of the healthy side of stroke patients and the normal group.The elasticity of FPLT is different in patients with different muscle tension grades after stroke,which proves that shear wave elastography can quantify spasticity in patients with stroke.