Abstract
In this study, the associations of cervical and lumbar paraspinal musculature based on a texture analysis of proton density fat fraction (PDFF) maps were investigated to identify gender- and anatomical location-specific structural patterns. Seventy-nine volunteers (25 men, 54 women) participated in the present study (mean age ± standard deviation: men: 43.7 ± 24.6 years; women: 37.1 ± 14.0 years). Using manual segmentations of the PDFF maps, texture analysis was performed and texture features were extracted. A significant difference in the mean PDFF between men and women was observed in the erector spinae muscle (p < 0.0001), whereas the mean PDFF did not significantly differ in the cervical musculature and the psoas muscle (p > 0.05 each). Among others, Variance(global) and Kurtosis(global) showed significantly higher values in men than in women in all included muscle groups (p < 0.001). Not only the mean PDFF values (p < 0.001) but also Variance(global) (p < 0.001), Energy (p < 0.001), Entropy (p = 0.01), Homogeneity (p < 0.001), and Correlation (p = 0.037) differed significantly between the three muscle compartments. The cervical and lumbar paraspinal musculature composition seems to be gender-specific and has anatomical location-specific structural patterns.
Highlights
Muscle structure and composition change over the human life span
Increasing body mass index (BMI) and age are associated with structural alterations, including fatty infiltration and atrophy, and katabolic conditions, such as sarcopenia and cachexia [1,2,3,4,5]
It has been shown that preoperative sarcopenia is associated with poorer overall survival in pancreatic cancer patients following pancreaticoduodenectomy [8]
Summary
Muscle structure and composition change over the human life span. increasing body mass index (BMI) and age are associated with structural alterations, including fatty infiltration and atrophy, and katabolic conditions, such as sarcopenia and cachexia [1,2,3,4,5].There is evidence for connections between the overall muscle quality and muscular performance [6]. Muscle structure and composition change over the human life span. Increasing body mass index (BMI) and age are associated with structural alterations, including fatty infiltration and atrophy, and katabolic conditions, such as sarcopenia and cachexia [1,2,3,4,5]. There is evidence for connections between the overall muscle quality and muscular performance [6]. The loss of functional muscle tissue due to fatty replacement leads to increasing disability and mortality [7]. It has been shown that preoperative sarcopenia is associated with poorer overall survival in pancreatic cancer patients following pancreaticoduodenectomy [8]. Non-invasive muscle status assessments beyond quantification of mere volumetric changes are of increasing interest with regard to personalized medicine and an individual, multi-parametric patient evaluation
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