ArticlePloS one2021
Reliability of ultrasonographic measurement of muscle architecture of the gastrocnemius medialis and gastrocnemius lateralis.
Article in PloS one, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 23 citations in OpenAlex.
- Gastrocnemius muscle properties in children with cerebral palsy: An exploratory cross-sectional study of variability in gastrocnemius properties.Experimental physiology · 2026Article
- Diagnostic Value of Gastrocnemius Shear Wave Elastography Combined With BMI in Different Stages of Sarcopenia in Elderly Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Sex Differences: A Cross-Sectional Study.Geriatrics & gerontology international · 2026Article
- Comparison of explosive power, balance and muscle morphology in female volleyball players with and without chronic ankle instability.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2026Article
- Comparison of different exercises on muscle thickness, pain, and disability in patients with low back pain: A randomized controlled study.Turkish journal of physical medicine and rehabilitation · 2026Article
- Article
- The relationship between muscle thickness and pennation angle is mediated by fascicle length in the muscles of the lower extremities.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Reliability of muscle stiffness measures in popliteus, medial and lateral gastrocnemius muscles by ultrasound shear wave elastography in participants with knee osteoarthritis accompanied by myofascial trigger points.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2024Article
- Reliability of assessing skeletal muscle architecture and tissue organization of the gastrocnemius medialis and vastus lateralis muscle using ultrasound and spatial frequency analysis.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2024Article
- Muscle structure predictors of vertical jump performance in elite male volleyball players: a cross-sectional study based on ultrasonography.Frontiers in physiology · 2024Article
- Analysis of electrical stimulation and voluntary muscle contraction on skeletal muscle oxygen uptake and mitochondrial recovery using near-infrared spectroscopy.European journal of applied physiology · 2023Article
- Intra- and Inter-Rater Reliability and Agreement of Ultrasound Imaging of Muscle Architecture and Patellar Tendon in Post-COVID-19 Patients Who Had Experienced Moderate or Severe COVID-19 Infection.Journal of clinical medicine · 2022Article
- Factors of Muscle Quality and Determinants of Muscle Strength: A Systematic Literature Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
- Agreement and reliability of lower limb muscle architecture measurements using a portable ultrasound device.Frontiers in physiology · 2022Article
- Article
- Gastrocnemius Muscle Architecture in Elite Basketballers and Cyclists: A Cross-Sectional Cohort Study.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Ultrasonography is widely used to measure gastrocnemius muscle architecture; however, it is unclear if values obtained from digitised images are sensitive enough to track architectural responses to clinical interventions. The purpose of this study was to explore the reliability and determine the minimal detectable change (MDC) of gastrocnemius medialis (GM) and gastrocnemius lateralis (GL) muscle architecture using ultrasound in a clinical setting. A trained sonographer obtained three B-mode images from each of the GM and GL muscles in 87 volunteers (44 males, 43 females; 22±9 years of age) on two separate occasions. Three independent investigators received training, then digitised the images to determine intra-rater, inter-rater, and test-retest reliability for fascicle length (FL), pennation angle (θ) and muscle thickness. Median FL, θ, and muscle thickness for GM and GL were 53.6-55.7 mm and 65.8-69.3 mm, 18.7-19.5° and 11.9-12.5°, and 12.8-13.2 mm and 15.9-16.9 mm, respectively. Intra- and inter-rater reliability of manual digitisation was excellent for all parameters. Test-retest reliability was moderate to excellent with intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) values ≥0.80 for FL, ≥0.61 for θ, and ≥0.81 for muscle thickness, in both GM and GL. The respective MDC for GM and GL FL, θ, and muscle thickness was ≤12.1 mm and ≤18.00 mm, ≤6.4° and ≤4.2°, and ≤3.2 mm and ≤3.1 mm. Although reliable, the relatively large MDC suggest that clinically derived ultrasound measurements of muscle architecture in GM and GL are more likely to be useful to detect differences between populations than to detect changes in muscle architecture following interventions.
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