Application Of Ultrasound In Post-stroke Muscle Spasticity Assessment

Objective:To explore the value of ultrasonography in the assessment of muscle spasticity, select the muscular architecture parameters (MAP), and the echo intensity (EI) and the modified Ashworth scale assesses muscle tone, analyze the correlation between them; analyze the role and value of ultrasound’s appliance in spasm evaluation; and therefore provide a theoretical basis for the promote in clinical or scientific research.Methods:Select 27 cases of stroke patients whom met the inclusion criteria, which including 21 males and 6 females, aged 28-77years(53.22±13.27), the onset time of 1-12months(4.21±3.62), the cause of stroke (ischemic 20 cases, accounting 74.7%, bleeding in 7 cases,25.3%), the affected side (left side in 16 cases,11 cases on the right). Using high-frequency ultrasound device to acquire patients’contralateral and ipsilateral lateral gastrocnemius muscle architecture parameters, (fiber length FL, muscle thickness MT) and echo intensity El, assess patients’gastrocnemius muscle tone with MAS, Healthy controls were ipsilateral, and analyze the correlation between ipsilateral muscle ultrasound parameters and the MAS..Results:1. FL ipsilateral and contralateral comparison, t=-12.247, P=0.000. FL the ipsilateral side showed significantly higher than the contralateral affected side, the difference was statistically significant; MT ipsilateral and contralateral comparison, t=11.342, P=0.000, MT the ipsilateral side showed significantly higher than the contralateral side, the difference was statistically significant; El ipsilateral and contralateral comparison, t=-15.664, P= 0.000, El the ipsilateral side showed significantly lower than the contralateral side, the difference was statistically significant.2. MAS grading and FL difference showed negative correlation, R=-0.908, P= 0.000, and showed negatively correlated with MT difference, R=-0.933, P= 0.000; showed positive correlation with El difference, R=0.925, P=0.000.Conclusions:1. Gastrocnemius Architecture Parameters MT, FL of patients with spastic hemiplegia was negatively correlated with the degree of spasticity, El was positively correlated with the degree of spasticity.2. The muscle ultrasound echo intensity reflects the degree of muscle contracture.3. The ultrasound can become one means of quantitative assessment of spasticity.