The relationship between sarcopenia, sarcopenia related quality of life and ultrasound findings of the rectus femoris muscle in older outpatients.

Purpose: Skeletal muscle ultrasonography stands out as a promising method for detecting sarcopenia. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between sarcopenia, sarcopenia related quality of life and US findings of the Rectus Femoris muscle.

Methods: A total of 300 older individuals were included in this cross-sectional study. Sarcopenia was diagnosed according to the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People 2 criteria. Rectus F muscle thickness, cross-sectional area, fascicle length, pennation angle, stiffness and echogenicity were measured by an experienced radiologist using a B-mode US device. Quality of life was determined with the Sarcopenia- Quality of life questionnaire. Correlation analysis, receiver operating analysis, sensitivity and specificity analysis were performed.

Results: The median age of participants was 72. 191 (63.9%) and 109 (36.1%) of the participants were male and female, respectively. The prevalence of sarcopenia was 15.6%. Fascicle length, cross-sectional area and thickness showed the highest sensitivity (81%) and specificity (87%) for men. Fascicle length and pennation angle showed the highest sensitivity (87%) and specificity (66%) for women. Rectus Femoris ultrasound parameters differed across SarQoL quartiles, and higher Sarcopenia- Quality of life scores were associated with better ultrasound parameters. All ultrasound parameters had positive correlations with Sarcopenia- Quality of life.

Conclusion: Different Rectus Femoris ultrasound parameters are useful for detecting sarcopenia according to gender. A combination of these parameters can increase diagnosis accuracy. Ultrasound parameters are associated with sarcopenia related quality of life.