Ultrasound Journal最新文献

{"title":"Progresses and clinical application of super-resolution ultrasound imaging: a narrative review.","authors":"Jia-Yi Gao, Chao Hou","doi":"10.1186/s13089-025-00432-6","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13089-025-00432-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Microcirculation plays a crucial role in maintaining normal physiological functions in the human body by facilitating the exchange of materials between tissues and blood through a network of microvessels with diameters less than 100 μm. It regulates local hemodynamics and participates in important pathophysiological processes, such as inflammatory reactions and immune responses. In recent years, the monitoring of super-resolution ultrasound (SRUS) in microcirculation has significantly enhanced our understanding of microvascular structure and function, while also providing insights into the noninvasive evaluation of organ conditions at the micro-level, thereby promoting the diagnosis and treatment of related diseases. This review summarizes the development and clinical application progress of SRUS, offering valuable insights into future research directions.</p>","PeriodicalId":36911,"journal":{"name":"Ultrasound Journal","volume":"17 1","pages":"29"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12170475/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144303048","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Efficacy of a theoretical-practical course for the ultrasound measurement of the optic nerve diameter in different healthcare operators.","authors":"Eugenio Garofalo, Giuseppe Neri, Vincenzo Bosco, Zaninni Caroleo, Fabiola Virdò, Helenia Mastrangelo, Giusy Guzzi, Gianmaria Cammarota, Chiara Robba, Federico Longhini, Andrea Bruni","doi":"10.1186/s13089-025-00431-7","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13089-025-00431-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The measurement of the optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) via ultrasound is a non-invasive technique to estimate intracranial pressure. Brief training has been shown to be effective in accurately teaching the ONSD technique in specialized healthcare providers. This study evaluates the ability of medical and nursing students, Intensive Care Unit (ICU) nurses, and ICU residents to perform ONSD measurements after a brief training.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Forty participants underwent a 4-h training session consisting of 30 min of lecture focusing on the key principles of the technique for ONSD measurement, followed by at least 20 measurements with an expert tutor. Thereafter, all participants assessed 5 ONSD measurements on healthy volunteers and their assessments were compared to those by the expert tutor.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>All participants successfully visualized the optic nerve and recorded similar values among groups (p > 0.05 for all comparisons). ICU nurse residents and medical students demonstrated a good accuracyof measurements, as defined by an upper and lower limits of agreement with the expert tutor not exceeding 0.5 mm in the Bland-Altman analysis. On the opposite, nurse students had the highest error rates and poor accuracy in ONSD assessment.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These findings highlight the feasibility of training medical students, ICU nurses and residents in ONSD measurement, opening the possibility of a wider application of this technique. After dedicated training, ONSD assessment and monitoring could be performed not only by specialists but also by other healthcare providers, including specialized nurses. This may serve as an additional tool for the rapid triage of patients, even in out-of-hospital settings.</p>","PeriodicalId":36911,"journal":{"name":"Ultrasound Journal","volume":"17 1","pages":"28"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12170489/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144303047","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The brain shock index: repurposing the Lindegaard ratio for detecting cerebral hypoperfusion in children with cerebral malaria.","authors":"Nicole F O'Brien, Taty Tshimanga, Florette Yumsa Mangwangu, Ludovic Mayindombe, Robert Tandjeka Ekandji, Jean Pongo Mbaka, Tusekile Phiri, Sylvester June, Montfort Bernard Gushu, Hunter Wynkoop, Marlina Lovett","doi":"10.1186/s13089-025-00430-8","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13089-025-00430-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Transcranial doppler ultrasound (TCD) allows for the assessment of the cerebrovascular hemodynamics in critically ill children. Given the increasing availability of machines equipped with TCD capabilities globally, it may be a useful approach to detect cerebral hypoperfusion and guide neurologic resuscitation for pediatric patients in resource limited settings where other neuromonitoring techniques are unavailable. However, the current need to evaluate waveform characteristics and to age correct values to determine if a study is abnormal decreases the feasibility of using point of care TCD in this way. The brain shock index (BSI), a repurposing of the Lindegaard Ratio, overcomes these limitations.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We performed a prospective study of children with cerebral malaria (CM). On admission and daily thereafter, TCD was used to evaluate the middle cerebral (MCA) and extra-cranial carotid arteries (Ex-ICA), and the BSI was calculated bilaterally (MCA mean flow velocity ((Vm))/Ex-ICA Vm). Neurologic outcome at discharge was assessed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A cohort of 291 children with CM were evaluated. BSI calculation was successful in all of them. The mean time to perform TCD and calculate the BSI was 4 ± 2 min. Overall, 222 participants (76%) had a good outcome and 69 (24%) a poor outcome. The BSI had an AUC of 0.98 (95% CI 0.97-0.99, p < 0.0001) to predict death or moderate to severe disability. The highest sensitivity and specificity of the BSI to predict adverse outcomes occurred at a cut off value ≤ 1.1. The adjusted odds ratio of poor outcome was 3.2 (95% CI 1.6-6.1, p = 0.001) if any BSI measurement during hospitalization fell below this threshold. No intracranial pressure monitoring was available to determine the relationship between the BSIs and an invasively measured cerebral perfusion pressure.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The BSI is a rapid, feasible point of care ultrasound measurement of cerebral hypoperfusion, with values ≤ 1.1 strongly correlating with poor neurologic outcomes in children with CM. Future studies should be performed to assess the utility of BSI to detect the presence and measure the severity of reduced cerebral perfusion pressure in other populations of critically ill children.</p>","PeriodicalId":36911,"journal":{"name":"Ultrasound Journal","volume":"17 1","pages":"27"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12125453/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144188160","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ultrasound-based statistical shape modeling for prognosis in unstable hip dysplasia.","authors":"E M van Bussel, L van Marle, J M Bonsel, D de Vrij, H Weinans, R Sakkers","doi":"10.1186/s13089-025-00419-3","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13089-025-00419-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Current methods to classify developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) on ultrasound (US) images, such as the Graf method, provide limited prognostic information. This study aimed to improve the prediction of the clinical course and outcome at age five of decentered hips, diagnosed on the first US made in the first months after birth, by identifying acetabular shape variants on these US images using a statistical shape model (SSM).</p><p><strong>Patients and methods: </strong>US images of the hip were retrieved from a single-center retrospective cohort of patients with DDH Graf type D/III/IV. A SSM was created from the US images made at initial diagnosis.. The association between the identified acetabular shape variants and an unfavorable outcome (residual DDH at age five and open reduction and/or a pelvic osteotomy before age five) was established with multivariable regression models.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>92 decentered dysplastic hips with full history could be retrieved from the database and were included. At age five, 12 patients (13%) had undergone open reduction, 13 (14%) had a pelvic osteotomy, and 32 (35%) patients showed residual DDH. Four shape variants represented 95% of the variance in acetabular shape. Mode 4 was associated with an unfavorable outcome (odds ratio (OR): 1.80 (95% CI 1.12-2.90). Mode 1 was associated with less risk on open reductions or pelvic osteotomies (OR: 0.56 (95% CI 0.33-0.96).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>A potential new method of analyzing US images for DDH using SSM established four distinct acetabular shapes on neonatal US images with unstable DDH, of which two were associated with outcomes at five years of age. This tool could serve as a basis for a better prediction of outcome and a more personalized and effective guide for treatment.</p>","PeriodicalId":36911,"journal":{"name":"Ultrasound Journal","volume":"17 1","pages":"26"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12125406/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144188161","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Multispecialty comparison of point-of-care-ultrasound use, training, and barriers: a national survey of VA medical centers.","authors":"Dana M Resop, Brian Bales, Rebecca G Theophanous, Jessica Koehler, Jeremy S Boyd, Michael J Mader, Jason P Williams, Robert Nathanson, Zahir Basrai, Elizabeth K Haro, Rahul Khosla, Erin Wetherbee, Harald Sauthoff, Nilam J Soni, Christopher K Schott","doi":"10.1186/s13089-024-00398-x","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13089-024-00398-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>As more specialties have begun to use Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) in patient care, hospitals and healthcare systems have been investing increasing resources in POCUS infrastructure (training, equipment, and administration). Since each specialty uses different POCUS applications, healthcare systems seek to identify commonalities and differences between specialties to make thoughtful investments in POCUS infrastructure to support each specialty's use of POCUS while minimizing redundancies. Historically, past studies have focused on POCUS use in individual specialties, primarily emergency medicine and critical care, but comparative studies of different specialties are needed to guide investment in POCUS infrastructure and bolster POCUS implementation across healthcare systems. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of all Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers in the United States and compared data from 5 different specialties on current usage, training needs, and barriers to POCUS implementation.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Data were collected from facility chiefs of staff (n = 130; 100% response rate) and chiefs of emergency medicine (n = 101; 92% response rate), critical care (n = 93; 83% response rate), hospital medicine (n = 105; 90% response rate), anesthesiology (n = 96; 77% response rate), and surgery (n = 104; 95% response rate). All specialties surveyed reported current POCUS use (surgery 54%, hospital medicine 64%, anesthesiology 83%, emergency medicine 90%, and critical care 93%) but more importantly, a greater desire for training was seen. Procedural POCUS applications were most often used by all specialties, despite decreased procedural POCUS use since 2015 for all specialties except critical care. Diagnostic POCUS use generally increased from 2015 to 2020, although use of specific POCUS applications varied significantly between specialties. Barriers limiting POCUS use included lack of training (53-80%), access to ultrasound equipment (25-57%), and POCUS infrastructure (36-65%).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>From 2015 to 2020, POCUS use increased significantly in emergency medicine, critical care, internal medicine, anesthesiology, and surgery, although use of specific applications varied significantly between specialties. Lack of training and POCUS infrastructure were common barriers to POCUS use across specialties. Desire for training exceeded current use for several POCUS applications. These findings can guide implementation and standardization of  POCUS use  in hospitals and healthcare systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":36911,"journal":{"name":"Ultrasound Journal","volume":"17 1","pages":"25"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12095105/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144112047","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Concepts for point-of-care ultrasound training in low resource settings: a scoping review.","authors":"Friedrich Eppel, Friederike Hunstig, Sabine Bélard, Benno Kreuels","doi":"10.1186/s13089-025-00427-3","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13089-025-00427-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is a potent diagnostic tool especially in resource-limited settings. The implementation of POCUS diagnostics requires adequate training of POCUS operators. This scoping review aimed to identify and describe POCUS training concepts that have been applied in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs).</p><p><strong>Methods and findings: </strong>All studies on diagnostic POCUS training in LMICs that could be found in the Cochrane, Embase, Google Scholar, and Medline databases up to July 6, 2023, were included and data was extracted for descriptive analysis. The review protocol was registered at OSF https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/8FQJW . A total of 53 publications were included with 59% of studies (n = 31) conducted in Africa and 23% (n = 12) in Asia. The majority of studies (n = 41, 81%) described short courses amongst which 40% were one-off sessions and 60% described longitudinal trainings. Curricula were mostly related to emergency medicine and obstetrics and organ-focused protocols (lung n = 29 (54%), cardiac n = 28 (53%), obstetric n = 23 (43%)). Trainees were largely medical doctors and clinical officers with minimal or absent ultrasound skills. Training challenges included resource constraints and lack of context adaptation. Best practice recommendations included focus on hands-on training, low trainer to trainee ratio, protected training time, online training options, use of local trainers, short and concise training manuals in print, continuous supervision and early and on-going evaluation, as well as tele-mentoring.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Context integration and focus on local needs, trainer availability and suitability, durable equipment and maintenance, as well as emphasis on hands on training including patients with relevant pathology, were key aspects for targeted and sustainable POCUS training in LMICs identified in this review.</p>","PeriodicalId":36911,"journal":{"name":"Ultrasound Journal","volume":"17 1","pages":"24"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12081813/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144081220","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Contrast-ultrasound dispersion imaging for renal cell carcinoma diagnostics.","authors":"Peiran Chen, Simona Turco, Zhaohan Liu, Christiaan Widdershoven, Jorg Oddens, Hessel Wijkstra, Massimo Mischi, Patricia Zondervan","doi":"10.1186/s13089-025-00423-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13089-025-00423-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cost-effective screening methods for Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC) are still lacking. Angiogenesis is a recognized hallmark of cancer growth, leading to distinguishable perfusion patterns in tumors from those in normal tissue. This establishes the basis for diagnostic imaging solutions by dynamic contrast-enhanced ultrasound (DCE-US). In the past years, we have developed contrast-ultrasound dispersion imaging (CUDI) techniques to quantify prostate DCE-US acquisitions, obtaining promising results for prostate cancer localization. In this pilot study, we investigated for the first time its feasibility for RCC localization. DCE-US acquisitions of the kidney in 5 patients were used to perform CUDI analysis. With the obtained CUDI parameters and the delineated tumor and parenchyma regions, we performed pixel-based classification, from which the highest area under the receiver-operating-characteristic curve (AUC) = 0.96 was obtained for an individual patient, and an average AUC = 0.68 was obtained for the full patient dataset, showing the potential of CUDI for solid RCC localization. Further validation in a larger dataset and evaluation of the compatibility of point-of-care diagnosis are required.</p>","PeriodicalId":36911,"journal":{"name":"Ultrasound Journal","volume":"17 1","pages":"23"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12003236/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144002093","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dynamic left ventricular outflow tract obstruction induced by intra-aortic balloon pump in patient with angioedema.","authors":"Konstantin Yastrebov, Gregory Cranney","doi":"10.1186/s13089-025-00426-4","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13089-025-00426-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Intra-aortic balloon pump is used for temporary mechanical support of failing left ventricle. It works by reducing the arterial afterload during ventricular systole to reduce myocardial work and increasing diastolic proximal aortic pressure to improve coronary perfusion. Rarely, intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) can become the cause of severe haemodynamic compromise, causing dynamic left ventricular outflow tract obstruction.</p><p><strong>Case presentation: </strong>An 88-yo man presented with angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) - induced angioedema. He received steroids and adrenaline, but progressed to the respiratory arrest, requiring emergency awake fiberoptic intubation and mechanical ventilation. Echocardiography revealed catecholamine-induced reversed Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. The patient suffered asystolic cardiac arrest on arrival to intensive care unit (ICU), requiring cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Bradycardia and hypotension were treated with atrial pacing and (IABP). Icatibant was administered for angioedema. After several hours of haemodynamic stability, severe hypotension returned. Bedside echocardiographic diagnosis of recovery from Takotsubo and new development of IABP-induced dynamic left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (DLVOTO) was made. Stopping IABP resulted in rapid haemodynamic recovery. Repeated doses of Icatibant were needed. The patient survived and returned to independent living.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Immediate echocardiographic recognition of iatrogenic DLVOTO caused by IABP allows discontinuation of IABP support as a life-saving intervention. Dynamic application of spectral Doppler with changes in IABP settings is required for correct diagnosis.</p>","PeriodicalId":36911,"journal":{"name":"Ultrasound Journal","volume":"17 1","pages":"22"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-04-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11977056/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143796313","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Peripheral nerve ultrasound: a survival guide for the practicing radiologist with updates.","authors":"Mohamed Ragab Nouh, Hoda Mohamed Abdel-Naby, Tarek El Sakka, Mohamed El-Shafei","doi":"10.1186/s13089-024-00387-0","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13089-024-00387-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Peripheral nerve injuries negatively impact patients' quality of life and healthcare resources. This review discusses using high-resolution neurosonography (HRNUS) for mapping peripheral nerves and detecting pathologic lesions. It emphasizes the importance of HRNUS in diagnosing nerve disorders and briefs the widely accepted schemes for peripheral nerve injury classification. It also highlights the non-intrusive, flexible, patient-friendly, and cost-effective nature of HRNUS, making it a valuable tool in managing nerve disorders. The authors recommend the use of HRNUS to enable precise diagnoses, prevent permanent disabilities, and contribute to the efficient utilization of healthcare resources.</p>","PeriodicalId":36911,"journal":{"name":"Ultrasound Journal","volume":"17 1","pages":"21"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11947404/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143732165","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Examiner experience moderates reliability of human lower extremity muscle ultrasound measurement - a double blinded measurement error study.","authors":"Konstantin Warneke, Stanislav D Siegel, Jonas Drabow, Lars H Lohmann, Daniel Jochum, Sandro R Freitas, José Afonso, Andreas Konrad","doi":"10.1186/s13089-025-00424-6","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13089-025-00424-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Structural muscle properties are critical in health and athletic settings, with magnetic resonance imaging considered the gold standard assessment procedure under static conditions due to its reliability and objectivity. Practical limitations, including cost and accessibility, have led to the increasing use of ultrasound as an alternative for skeletal muscle morphological parameters. However, ultrasound measurements are sensitive to evaluation conditions and assessor experience, which has not been sufficiently explored, yet. Therefore, this study investigated the influence of assessor experience on the reliability of ultrasound measurements. A double-blind design was used, involving an experienced assessor (> 12,000 images for several years) and multiple inexperienced assessors (< 100 images) to collect data from 39 recreationally active participants. Measurements of muscle architecture were conducted in the leg muscles over two consecutive days, generating 1,248 ultrasound images. Relative and absolute reliability were analyzed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs), standard error of measurement, minimal detectable change, mean absolute error (MAE), mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) and Bland-Altman analyses. Relative reliability was good to excellent in all measurement spots and time-points for muscle thickness (ICC = 0.76-0.98) irrespective of assessor experience, except for the inter-day comparison for the gastrocnemius lateralis by the inexperienced assessors, (ICC = 0.58). The pennation angle assessment ranged from insufficient to excellent reliability (ICC = 0.18-0.94) and experience contributed greatly to better results. The random error for the inexperienced assessors was reflected in two- to three-times higher MAEs/MAPEs and limits of agreement in the Bland-Altman analyses, respectively. The findings emphasize the importance of experience and standardization in achieving reliable ultrasound data, particularly for (a) sensitive parameters like the pennation angle and/or (b) inter-day, intra-subject comparisons.</p>","PeriodicalId":36911,"journal":{"name":"Ultrasound Journal","volume":"17 1","pages":"20"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11947354/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143732164","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}