Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38974509›Full record

ArticleClinical interventions in aging2024

A Novel MRI-Based Paravertebral Muscle Quality (PVMQ) Score for Evaluating Muscle Quality and Bone Quality: A Comparative Study with the VBQ Score.

Song Wang, Xiang Zhang, Bo Qu, Kunhai Yang, Yongrong Hu, Hao Liu, Juntao Hong, Hao Niu, Hongsheng Yang

Abstract readComparative Study
In one paragraph

Article in Clinical interventions in aging, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. PVMQ score: a novel imaging parameter for indicating lumbar degeneration and prognosis in patients with L4/5 degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2026
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  6. Review
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  8. Preoperative assessment of spinal bone quality using Hounsfield unit values and vertebral bone quality scores in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a retrospective propensity-matched study.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Song Wang *School of Clinical Medicine, Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China.ORCID 0009-0002-8836-5815
Xiang Zhang *School of Clinical Medicine, Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China.
Bo Qu *Department of Orthopaedics, First Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China.
Kunhai YangSchool of Clinical Medicine, Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China.
Yongrong HuSchool of Clinical Medicine, Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China.
Hao LiuDepartment of Orthopaedics, First Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China.
Juntao HongDepartment of Orthopaedics, First Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China.ORCID 0009-0008-6782-0878
Hao NiuComputer Science of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China.
Hongsheng YangDepartment of Orthopaedics, First Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Purpose: This study aims to develop a novel MRI-based paravertebral muscle quality (PVMQ) score for assessing muscle quality and to investigate its correlation with the degree of fat infiltration (DFF) and the vertebral bone quality (VBQ) score of paravertebral muscles. Additionally, the study compares the effectiveness of the PVMQ score and the VBQ score in assessing muscle quality and bone quality. Methods: PVMQ scores were derived from the ratio of paravertebral muscle signal intensity (SI) to L3 cerebrospinal fluid SI on T2-weighted MRI. Image J software assessed paravertebral muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) and DFF. Spearman rank correlation analyses explored associations between PVMQ, VBQ scores, DFF, and T-scores in both genders. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves compared PVMQ and VBQ scores' effectiveness in distinguishing osteopenia/osteoporosis and high paraspinal muscle DFF. Results: In this study of 144 patients (94 females), PVMQ scores were significantly higher in osteoporosis and osteopenia groups compared to normals, with variations observed between genders (P < 0.05). PVMQ showed stronger positive correlation with VBQ scores and DFF in females than males (0.584 vs 0.445, 0.579 vs 0.528; P < 0.01). ROC analysis favored PVMQ over VBQ for low muscle mass in both genders (AUC = 0.767 vs 0.718, 0.793 vs 0.718). VBQ was better for bone mass in males (0.737/0.865 vs 0.691/0.858), whereas PVMQ excelled for females (0.808/0.764 vs 0.721/0.718). Conclusion: The novel PVMQ score provides a reliable assessment of paravertebral muscle quality and shows a strong correlation with VBQ scores and DFF, particularly in females. It outperforms VBQ scores in evaluating muscle mass and offers valuable insights for assessing bone mass in females. These findings underscore the potential of the PVMQ score as a dual-purpose tool for evaluating both muscle and bone health, informing future research and clinical practice.

Indexed as

Magnetic Resonance ImagingOsteoporosisAgedBone DensityBone Diseases, MetabolicFemaleHumansLumbar VertebraeMaleMiddle AgedParaspinal MusclesROC Curvedual-energy X-ray absorptiometrymagnetic resonance imagingmuscle qualityosteoporosisosteosarcopeniavertebral bone quality score

Identifiers

PMID38974509
PMCPMC11227326

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.