Annu Int Conf IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2021 Nov;2021:3451-3454. doi: 10.1109/EMBC46164.2021.9630293.
A hemiparetic stroke may lead to changes in muscle structure that further exacerbate motor impairments of the paretic limb. Cadaveric measurements have previously been used to study structural parameters in skeletal muscles but has several limitations, including ex vivo fixation. Here, we present novel application of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) based probabilistic tractography methods, in comparison to the traditional deterministic approach, with respect to cadaveric dissection to quantify in vivo muscle fascicles in the biceps brachii. Preliminary results show that probabilistic tractography yields longer fascicle lengths that are more consistent with cadaveric measurements, albeit with higher variability, while deterministic tractography identifies shorter fascicle lengths, but with less variability. Results suggest that DTI tractography techniques can capture fascicles consistent with previously published cadaveric measurements and can identify interlimb differences in fascicle lengths in an individual with stroke.Clinical Relevance- The methods proposed here describe a non-invasive way to quantify heterogeneous musculoskeletal parameters such as across upper arm muscles in individuals with hemiparetic stroke. This will expand the current knowledge of macro- and micro-structural muscle changes that occur after stroke and may lead to more effective rehabilitation strategies to prevent such changes in individuals with stroke.
偏瘫性中风可能导致肌肉结构发生变化，从而进一步加剧瘫痪肢体的运动障碍。尸体测量以前曾被用于研究骨骼肌的结构参数，但存在几个局限性，包括离体固定。在这里，我们提出了一种新的基于扩散张量成像（DTI）的概率追踪方法的应用，与传统的确定性方法相比，在尸体解剖方面，该方法可以定量测量肱二头肌中的活体肌束。初步结果表明，概率追踪产生的肌束长度更长，与尸体测量更一致，尽管变异性更高，而确定性追踪确定的肌束长度更短，但变异性更小。结果表明，DTI 追踪技术可以捕捉到与先前发表的尸体测量一致的束，并且可以识别中风个体中束长度的肢体间差异。临床意义- 这里提出的方法描述了一种非侵入性的方法，可以定量测量偏瘫性中风个体的上肢肌肉等不均匀的肌肉骨骼参数。这将扩展中风后发生的宏观和微观结构肌肉变化的现有知识，并可能导致更有效的康复策略，以防止中风个体发生这种变化。
