ArticlePloS one2023
Quantitative sonographic assessment of muscle thickness and fasciculations distribution is a sensitive tool for neuromuscular disorders.
Article in PloS one, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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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.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 5 citations in OpenAlex.
- Accuracy of muscle ultrasonography in detecting fasciculations for the diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of neurology · 2026Pooled it
- Quantitative Spatiotemporal Analysis of Ultrasound Images of Fasciculations in ALS.Muscle & nerve · 2026Article
- Peripheral nerve ultrasound: a survival guide for the practicing radiologist with updates.The ultrasound journal · 2025Review
- Real-world pharmacovigilance investigation of imipenem/cilastatin: signal detection using the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionLoss of muscle thickness can be demonstrated in a wide spectrum of neuromuscular disorders, while fasciculations are more frequent in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). In the current study, we aimed to determine the sensitivity and specificity of quantitative sonographic assessment of muscle thickness and the presence of fasciculations for diagnosing various neuromuscular disorders.
methodsThe thickness and the presence of fasciculations in eight muscles were determined by sonography in patients with myopathy (22), polyneuropathy (36), ALS (91), and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) (31) and compared to normative values determined in 65 heathy control subjects.
resultsReduced muscle thickness in at least one relaxed muscle showed 92-100% sensitivity for diagnosing a neuromuscular disease, with a specificity of 85% for differentiating patients from heathy controls (AUC = 0.90). Subtracting distal from proximal muscle thickness may differentiate between myopathy and polyneuropathy. Fasciculations in ≥1 proximal muscle showed good diagnostic accuracy (AUC = 0.87) for diagnosing ALS. DISCUSSION: Sonographic assessment of muscle thickness is a sensitive tool for diagnosing a wide spectrum of neuromuscular diseases, and may facilitate diagnosis even in patients with normal strength on neurological examination, while the presence of fasciculations in proximal muscles may facilitate ALS diagnosis.
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