SynthesisBMC musculoskeletal disorders2025
Reliability of muscle architecture assessment using clinical ultrasound in post-stroke patients: a systematic review.
Synthesis in BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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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.
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.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Advancing Neurological Rehabilitation: The BRAIN Framework for Clinical Reasoning in Neurophysiotherapy.Brain sciences · 2026Article
- Predictors of Ultrasound-Derived Muscle Thickness and Echo Intensity After Acute Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury During Inpatient Rehabilitation: An Exploratory Observational Cohort Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundAlterations in skeletal muscle architecture following stroke-induced neural injury serve as a major contributor to post-stroke motor impairment. Ultrasound has demonstrated promising potential for muscle assessment, however, its reliability in evaluating muscle in post-stroke patients was not systematically investigated. This systematic review aimed to synthesize available data on the reliability of ultrasound-based measurements of muscle architecture in post-stroke patients.
methodsLiterature searches were conducted across PubMed, Medline, CNKI, Embase, and Wed of Science using keywords of ultrasound (ultrasonic/echotomography) and stroke. Studies were included if they focused on the reliability of ultrasound-based muscle measurements in post-stroke patients. Data on reliability was extracted. Methodological quality was evaluated using a checklist proposed by Pretorius and Keating. The overall level of evidence was also determined.
resultsOf the 130,484 initial records identified, 13 studies were included. Among these, 12 were rated as high quality and 1 as low quality. Ultrasound demonstrated moderate-to-excellent reliability for measuring both muscle thickness and pennation angle in the gastrocnemius and tibialis anterior (TA) muscles, with intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) values ranging from 0.69 to 0.99, supported by strong evidence. Furthermore, it exhibited good-to-excellent reliability in assessing both cross-sectional area (ICC = 0.76-0.97 in gastrocnemius, biceps brachii, and flexor digitorum superficialis/profundus) and muscle length (ICC = 0.89-0.98 in TA, gastrocnemius, and biceps brachii), supported by moderate evidence. Similarly, moderate evidence also supported excellent reliability of ultrasound in assessing muscle volume in the TA (ICC > 0.90).
conclusionsUltrasound generally demonstrated moderate-to-excellent reliability for measuring muscle architecture parameters, including muscle thickness, pennation angle, cross-sectional area, muscle volume, and length, across various muscles in post-stroke patients, with supporting evidence rating from moderate to strong.
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Registered trials
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.