Background: Pocket-sized ultrasound devices are increasingly used in a variety of clinical situations, and perform\nwell against standard ultrasound machines. We sought to investigate if a pocket-sized ultrasound device can assess\nmuscle thickness and architecture in healthy volunteers.\nMethods: Healthy male volunteers (n = 21) across a range of ages were recruited to the study. Laying supine,\nultrasound images were taken from the right anterior and lateral thigh. Thickness of the rectus femoris (RFMT),\nvastus intermedius (VIMT), and the two combined (anterior thigh, AMT) were measured, along with thickness of\nvastus lateralis (VLMT), pennation angle (VLPA) and derived fascicle length (VLFL). These scans were performed\ninitially using a pocket-sized ultrasound (VScan) and then using a standard device (Telemed Echoblaster 128).\nResults: In all six variables, there was no significant difference between the two sets of measurements. Intra-class\ncorrelation co-efficients (ICC) for VLMT, VLPA, and AMT were all excellent (0.93, 0.89, 0.90 respectively) with the\nderived value of VLFL having an ICC of 0.84. All ICC values were statistically significant. Regression analysis\ndemonstrated no evidence of proportional bias in any of the measured or derived variables.\nConclusion: A pocket-sized ultrasound device gives similar measurements of lower limb muscle thickness and\narchitecture as a standard device in healthy volunteers.
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