Observational studyBMC anesthesiology2018
Reliability of ultrasound measurements of quadriceps muscle thickness in critically ill patients.
Observational study in BMC anesthesiology, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 5 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 70 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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.
Ultrasound Measurements of Accessory Respiratory Muscles in the Intensive Care Unit
TESTO-TRIAL: Randomized Clinical Trial on the Use of Testosterone in Critically Ill Patients
The Effects of Foam Rolling on Double-leg Squat Force Distribution
Effect of Physical Therapy on NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation and Muscle Atrophy in Critical Illness Myopathy (PT-NLRP3-CIM).
Pilot Study: Validation of Operators and Inter-Evaluator Variability in Diagnostic Strategies for ICU-Acquired Weakness (NMusICU-R)
Who cites it
70 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- The rate and assessment of muscle wasting during critical illness: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Critical care (London, England) · 2023Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Feasibility and Preliminary Effectiveness of a Mobile App-Based Personalized Exercise Program in Older Patients With Chronic Knee Osteoarthritis: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2025Trial
- Comparative Study of the Rehabilitation Exercise 5R System and Aerobic Exercise on Postpartum Recovery: Impacts on Muscle Function and Metabolic Health.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2025Trial
- Clinical evaluation of AI-assisted muscle ultrasound for monitoring muscle wasting in ICU patients.Scientific reports · 2024Trial
- Association between fluid balance, muscle strength, and muscle quality in critically ill patients: a retrospective observational study.Intensive care medicine experimental · 2026Article
- A protocol for the rehabilitation of patients undergoing mechanical ventilation from the ICU to the post-hospital phase: the MOVE-ICUtoHOME, a multicentre randomised controlled trial.BMJ open respiratory research · 2026Article
- Added Value of Quadriceps Muscle Layer Thickness to modified Nutrition Risk in the Critically Ill (mNUTRIC) Score in Predicting Clinical Outcomes in Critically Ill Patients: A Prospective Observational Study.Indian journal of critical care medicine : peer-reviewed, official publication of Indian Society of Critical Care Medicine · 2026Article
- Normative Reference Values and Cut-Off Points for Nutritional Ultrasound: The VALORES Study.Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle · 2026Article
- Does closed suction drainage reduce postoperative hematoma and muscle swelling after total hip arthroplasty? A retrospective comparative study using computed tomography.Journal of artificial organs : the official journal of the Japanese Society for Artificial Organs · 2026Article
- Strength gains and absence of hypertrophy and cross-education in knee extensors following short-term low-volume eccentric training in untrained young men.European journal of applied physiology · 2026Article
- Novel MRI-Guided Ultrasound Equations for Whole-Body Muscle Mass in Caucasian Adults.Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle · 2026Article
- Ultrasound assessment of muscle atrophy and its association with functional outcomes in critically ill patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Critical care (London, England) · 2026Review
- Article
- Short-Term Biceps Muscle Wasting Assessed by Serial Ultrasound as a Predictor of Survival Duration in Terminally Ill Cancer Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2026Article
- Article
- Ultrasound monitoring of skeletal muscle wasting and relation to nutritional intervention in critically ill patients: MUScleNut study.Intensive care medicine experimental · 2025Article
- Early Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation and In-Bed Leg Cycling Preserve Quadriceps Femoris Muscle Thickness in Critically Ill Patients.Physiotherapy research international : the journal for researchers and clinicians in physical therapy · 2025Article
- Development of an artificial intelligence powered software for automated analysis of skeletal muscle ultrasonography.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Quadriceps muscle thickness as measured by point-of-care ultrasound is associated with hospital length of stay among hospitalised older patients.Age and ageing · 2025Article
10 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMuscle wasting in critically ill patients is associated with negative clinical outcomes. Ultrasound quadriceps femoris muscle assessment may constitute a convenient tool to evaluate muscle wasting. Nevertheless, its reliability remains uncertain. Our primary aim was to study the intra- and inter-observer reliability of this technique. Our secondary aim was to assess the evolution of the quadriceps muscle during the first 3 weeks after ICU admission and its possible association with nutritional intake.
methodsThis observational study included patients expected to stay more than 7 days in the ICU. Ultrasound quadriceps muscle thickness was measured with a 12 MHz linear transducer, by two trained physicians, on D1, D3, D5, D7 and D21. Two measurements sites were evaluated: on the midpoint or on the two-thirds of the length between the anterior superior iliac spine and the upper border of the patella. Intra and inter-observer reliability was assessed by calculating the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC).
resultsA total of 280 ultrasound quadriceps thickness measurements were performed on 29 critically ill patients. Intra-observer reliability's ICC was 0.74 [95% CI 0.63; 0.84] at the "midpoint" site and 0.83 [95% CI 0.75; 0.9] at the "two-thirds" site. Inter-observer reliability's ICC was 0.76 [95% CI, 0.66; 0.86] at the "midpoint" site and 0.81 [95% CI, 0.7; 0.9] at the "two-thirds" site. Quadriceps femoris muscle thickness decreased over 16% within the first week after ICU admission. No correlation was found between muscle loss and caloric (p = 0.96) or protein (p = 0.80) debt over the first week.
conclusionThe assessment by ultrasonography of the quadriceps muscle thickness reveals good intra- and inter-observer reliability and may constitute a promising tool to evaluate the effect of nutritional-based interventions on muscle wasting in critically ill patients.
trial registration"Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects in Biomedical Research" - Paris Ile de France VI Pitié-Salpêtrière - 10/07/2014. French Data Protection Committee ("Commission Nationale Informatique et Libertés") - #1771144.
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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 OpenQuestion graph.