ArticleMuscle & nerve2025
Ultrasound Evaluation of Upper Limb Sublesional Muscle Morphology in Cervical Spinal Cord Injury.
Article in Muscle & nerve, 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.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Non-invasive spinal cord neuromodulation enables volitional anti-gravity leg movements after motor-complete spinal cord injury: responders vs. non-responders.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation · 2026Observational
- Ultrasound Guidance to Augment Needle Electromyography Precision in the Complex Nerve Injury Setting.Muscle & nerve · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
Abstract
INTRODUCTION/
aimsUpper limb paralysis is arguably the most limiting consequence of cervical spinal cord injury (cSCI). There is limited knowledge regarding the early structural changes of muscles implicated in grasp/pinch function and upper extremity nerve transfer surgeries. We evaluated: (1) muscle size and echo intensity (EI) in subacute cSCI (2-6 months) and (2) the influence of lower motor neuron (LMN) damage on these ultrasound parameters.
methodsCross-sectional B-mode images were captured bilaterally in individuals with cSCI (injury duration: 3.3 ± 1.2 months; C4-C6 injury levels; American Spinal Injuries Association Impairment Scale A-C; 45.7 ± 13.7 years; 3 females, 14 males) for biceps brachii (BB), extensor carpi ulnaris, extensor indicis proprius, flexor pollicis longus (FPL), and first dorsal interosseous. Each limb was analyzed as an independent event (n = 34). Cross-sectional area (CSA), thickness (MT), and EI were compared to healthy controls (HC). BB and FPL concentric needle electromyography (EMG) data were also obtained. Abnormal LMN health was defined by the presence of pathological spontaneous activity.
resultsRelative to HC, forearm and hand muscle size were 15%-41% lower (p < 0.05), while EI was 21%-40% higher (p < 0.05); no significant differences were observed for sublesional BB muscles (n = 16) (p > 0.05). Muscles demonstrating abnormal LMN health displayed reduced BB MT and elevated FPL EI (p < 0.05). DISCUSSION: These results underscore the substantial changes in forearm and hand muscle morphology within the subacute period after cSCI, with preliminary evidence suggesting that these changes are influenced by LMN damage.
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