Comparative analysis of hand-held and stationary ultrasound for detection of sarcopenia in acutely hospitalised older adults—a validity and reliability study

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Sarcopenia is a growing health concern among geriatric patients. Early diagnostics is importance to intervene and better muscle status and thus physical function. Ultrasound can be a valuable tool for patient-near diagnostics of sarcopenia. In recent time, ultrasound devices have evolved from larger stationary devices to minor hand-held devices that are more portable. However, the literature lacks research comparing quality of the different devices. The purpose of this study was to compare hand-held ultrasound (HH-US) to stationary ultrasound (S-US) in muscle assessment for detection of sarcopenia in acutely hospitalized older adults.

METHODS: A cross-sectional study using a convenience sample of acutely admitted older patients examined with both HH-US and S-US within a single session by the same examiner. Image analysis was performed using ImageJ, and was conducted by two raters: Rater 2 an experienced US examiner and Rater 1 an US examiner who received training from Rater 2. The Ultrasound sarcopenia index (USI) was used for evaluating sarcopenia. Validity and reliability of HH-US were analyzed using Cohen's Kappa and Student's t-test.

RESULTS: 21 participants (mean age 83.4 years, 52% female). Results showed "substantial" intra-rater reliability (κ = 0.77 for Rater 1) and 'near-perfect' validity (κ = 0.92 for Rater 2). Inter-rater comparisons revealed no significant differences (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION: HH-US is a potential method for detection of sarcopenia in acutely hospitalized older adults.