Department of Prosthodontics and Oral Rehabilitation, Tokushima University, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, Tokushima University, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.
J Oral Sci. 2022 Jan 19;64(1):44-48. doi: 10.2334/josnusd.21-0351. Epub 2021 Dec 8.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the echo intensity (EI) on ultrasound images of the tongue, tongue thickness, and tongue pressure to examine the effectiveness of EI measurement for assessing the tongue function.
A total of 100 elderly outpatients were enrolled. Tongue thickness and EI were measured using ultrasonography. The distance from mylohyoid muscle surface to dorsal surface of the tongue was measured for tongue thickness. Subsequently, this area was vertically divided into four areas: top of tongue dorsal side (DT), bottom of tongue dorsal side (DB), top of basal tongue side (BT), and bottom of basal tongue side (BB), and the EI was measured in each area.
The mean EIs of DT and DB were lower than those of BT and BB. In the three areas apart from BB, the EI decreased with an increase in tongue thickness. In particular, a significant correlation between the EI in DB and tongue thickness was found. In all areas, the EI decreased with an increase in tongue pressure.
The results of this study suggested that the measurement of EI could be an important indicator for assessing the tongue function in the elderly.
本研究旨在探讨舌超声图像回声强度（EI）与舌厚度和舌压之间的关系，以评估 EI 测量评估舌功能的有效性。
共纳入 100 名老年门诊患者。使用超声测量舌厚度和 EI。舌厚度的测量是从下颌舌骨肌表面到舌背的距离。随后，将该区域垂直分为四个区域：舌背顶部（DT）、舌背底部（DB）、舌基底部顶部（BT）和舌基底部底部（BB），并在每个区域测量 EI。
DT 和 DB 的平均 EI 低于 BT 和 BB。在 BB 以外的三个区域，EI 随舌厚度的增加而降低。特别是在 DB 中，EI 与舌厚度之间存在显著相关性。在所有区域，EI 随舌压的增加而降低。
本研究结果表明，EI 的测量可能是评估老年人舌功能的一个重要指标。
