Determination of Reference Values of the Masseter Muscle Stiffness in Healthy Adults Using Shear Wave Elastography

Shear wave elastography (SWE) is an objective and reliable method for the assessment of muscles and internal organs. Every organ exhibits its own stiffness characteristics and hence requires individual reference values. We aimed to determine the reference values of stiffness of the masseter muscle in healthy adult individuals using SWE. We analyzed the data of 140 participants (74 men, 66 women) with a median age of 50 years. The overall mean elasticity was 10.67 ± 1.77 kPa. The average values were lower by 2.25 kPa (9.15%) in women compared to men (9.48 ± 1.47 kPa vs. 11.73 ± 1.27 kPa; p < 0.0001). The values of stiffness increased with age, with a correlation coefficient of about 0.35 and a p < 0.0001. Age was a significant influencing factor of masseter muscle stiffness. The left and right masseters had similar stiffness. We conclude that stiffness values are significantly lower in women than in men with a difference of 9%. Age significantly influences the stiffness of masseter muscle, and the values of stiffness increase significantly with age, particularly in men. However, further studies are required to determine the precise ranges of stiffness accounting for age and sex in healthy subjects and people with disorders and conditions of the masticatory system.

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Quantitative evaluation of masseter muscle stiffness in patients with temporomandibular disorders using shear wave elastography

Journal of Prosthodontic Research ◽

10.1016/j.jpor.2017.01.003 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 61 (4) ◽

pp. 432-438 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Makiko Takashima ◽

Yoshiaki Arai ◽

Atsushi Kawamura ◽

Takafumi Hayashi ◽

Ritsuo Takagi

Keyword(s):

Shear Wave ◽

Quantitative Evaluation ◽

Temporomandibular Disorders ◽

Masseter Muscle ◽

Shear Wave Elastography ◽

Muscle Stiffness

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Potential of Using Shear Wave Elastography in the Clinical Evaluation and Monitoring of Changes in Masseter Muscle Stiffness

Pain Research and Management ◽

10.1155/2020/4184268 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 ◽

pp. 1-5

Author(s):

Cyprian Olchowy ◽

Mieszko Więckiewicz ◽

Luca Maria Sconfienza ◽

Mateusz Łasecki ◽

Piotr Seweryn ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Healthy Volunteers ◽

Shear Wave ◽

Masseter Muscle ◽

Severe Pain ◽

Shear Wave Elastography ◽

Muscle Stiffness ◽

Sensitive Tool ◽

Massage Treatment ◽

The Mean ◽

Evaluation And Monitoring

The study aimed to evaluate masseter muscle stiffness in adult healthy volunteers referred to a massage treatment and also to investigate whether shear-wave elastography can be used to monitor the effect of massage on the masseter muscle. The study included 21 healthy volunteers, who were subjected to a 30-minute massage of the masseter muscle. Muscle stiffness was measured by shear-wave elastography before and directly after the massage. Pain during the massage was assessed using the visual analogue scale (VAS). The data of 20 patients (one excluded due to severe pain) with a median age of 34.5 years were analysed. The stiffness values were 11.46 ± 1.55 kPa before and 8.97 ± 0.96 kPa after the massage ( p < 0.0001 ). The mean drop was 2.49 ± 1.09 kPa. The greatest decrease was observed in people with higher elasticity values before the massage (r = 0.79; p < 0.0001 ). The median intensity of pain was 7.2 (range: 6–9.5). We concluded that shear-wave elastography is a sensitive tool to monitor changes in the stiffness of the masseter muscle.

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Shear wave elastography of temporomandibular joint disc and masseter muscle stiffness in healthy children and adolescents: a preliminary study

Oral Radiology ◽

10.1007/s11282-020-00501-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Mehmet Öztürk ◽

Emine Çalışkan ◽

Hatice Arıöz Habibi

Keyword(s):

Children And Adolescents ◽

Temporomandibular Joint ◽

Shear Wave ◽

Masseter Muscle ◽

Shear Wave Elastography ◽

Muscle Stiffness ◽

Healthy Children ◽

Temporomandibular Joint Disc ◽

Preliminary Study

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Monitoring of Changes in Masticatory Muscle Stiffness after Gum Chewing Using Shear Wave Elastography

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm10112480 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (11) ◽

pp. 2480

Author(s):

Cyprian Olchowy ◽

Kinga Grzech-Leśniak ◽

Jakub Hadzik ◽

Anna Olchowy ◽

Mateusz Łasecki

Keyword(s):

Shear Wave ◽

Masseter Muscle ◽

Eating Habits ◽

Shear Wave Elastography ◽

Masticatory Muscles ◽

Muscle Stiffness ◽

Temporalis Muscle ◽

Gum Chewing ◽

Intensive Exercise ◽

The Impact

This study aimed to investigate if intensive exercise affects the stiffness of the masticatory muscles measured with shear-wave elastography. The study included a cohort of healthy adults (n = 40) aged 40 ± 11 years. In each individual, the stiffness of both the masseter and temporalis muscle was examined three times: at baseline, after 10 min of intensive exercise (chewing gum), and after 10 min of relaxation. Stiffness values (median (IQR)) of both the masseter and temporalis muscle were the lowest at the baseline (11.35 (9.7–12.65) and 10.1 (9.1–10.95)), increased significantly after the exercise (12.5 (11.1–13.25) and 10.3 (10.2–10.52)) and then dropped significantly after 10 min of relaxing (11.75 (9.95–12.6) and 10.2 (9.65–11.9)). The stiffness of the temporalis muscle was significantly lower than that of the masseter muscle. The values of the stiffness of the masseters correlated significantly with the values of the stiffness of the temporalis muscles. Shear wave elastography proved to be a sensitive method for showing changes in the stiffness of the muscles involved in the mastication occurring as a response to the effort, which increased the muscle stiffness. Further research is needed to broaden knowledge on the impact of eating habits and the occurrence of parafunctions on the development of temporomandibular disorders and the condition of masticatory muscles.

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Performance of two--dimensional ultrasound shear wave elastography: reference values of normal liver stiffness in children

Pediatric Radiology ◽

10.1007/s00247-018-4244-3 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 49 (1) ◽

pp. 91-98 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Paraskevi Galina ◽

Efthymia Alexopoulou ◽

Aglaia Zellos ◽

Virginia Grigoraki ◽

Tania Siahanidou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Shear Wave ◽

Reference Values ◽

Liver Stiffness ◽

Shear Wave Elastography ◽

Normal Liver ◽

Two Dimensional

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Stiffness of the Masseter Muscle in Children—Establishing the Reference Values in the Pediatric Population Using Shear-Wave Elastography

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18189619 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (18) ◽

pp. 9619

Author(s):

Cyprian Olchowy ◽

Anna Olchowy ◽

Aleksander Pawluś ◽

Mieszko Więckiewicz ◽

Luca Maria Sconfienza

Keyword(s):

Shear Wave ◽

Masseter Muscle ◽

Pediatric Population ◽

Shear Wave Elastography ◽

Total Sample ◽

Healthy Children ◽

Significant Difference ◽

The Right ◽

The Impact ◽

Masseter Muscles

In children, the quality and muscle function are altered in many pathologic conditions, including temporomandibular disorders. Although several methods have been used to evaluate muscle tonus, none became a golden standard. Moreover, the masseter muscle characteristics in children have not been investigated to date. This study aimed to measure the stiffness of the masseter muscle using shear-wave elastography in healthy children. We enrolled 30 healthy children (mean age 10.87 ± 3.38 years). The stiffness of masseter muscles was measured with shear wave elastography. Stiffness for the total sample was 6.37 ± 0.77 kPa. A comparison of the measurements did not show significant differences between the right and the left masseter muscles (left—6.47 ± 0.78 kPa; right—6.24 ± 0.76 kPa; p = 0.3546). A significant difference was seen between boys and girls (boys—5.94 ± 0.50 kPa; girls—6.63 ± 0.80; p = 0.0006). Shear-wave elastography is a promising diagnostic tool. It may help to detect changes in the stiffness of the masseter muscle and draw attention to pathological processes within the jaw muscles. Directions for further research shall include determining stiffness values in pathological conditions and the impact of biological and functional factors on the stiffness of the masseter muscle.

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Effects of the trunk position on muscle stiffness that reflects elongation of the lumbar erector spinae and multifidus muscles: an ultrasonic shear wave elastography study

European Journal of Applied Physiology ◽

10.1007/s00421-019-04098-6 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 119 (5) ◽

pp. 1085-1091 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Mitsuhiro Masaki ◽

Xiang Ji ◽

Taishi Yamauchi ◽

Hiroshige Tateuchi ◽

Noriaki Ichihashi

Keyword(s):

Shear Wave ◽

Shear Wave Elastography ◽

Muscle Stiffness ◽

Erector Spinae ◽

Ultrasonic Shear ◽

Trunk Position

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Effect of Rest Duration Between Static Stretching on Passive Stiffness of Medial Gastrocnemius Muscle In Vivo

Journal of Sport Rehabilitation ◽

10.1123/jsr.2018-0376 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 29 (5) ◽

pp. 578-582

Author(s):

Masatoshi Nakamura ◽

Shigeru Sato ◽

Ryosuke Kiyono ◽

Nobushige Takahashi ◽

Tomoichi Yoshida

Keyword(s):

Elastic Modulus ◽

Shear Wave ◽

Repeated Measures ◽

Shear Wave Elastography ◽

Muscle Stiffness ◽

Medial Gastrocnemius ◽

Static Stretching ◽

Shear Elastic Modulus ◽

Before And After

Context: In clinical and sports settings, static stretching (SS) is usually performed to increase range of motion (ROM) and decrease passive muscle stiffness. Recently, the shear elastic modulus was measured by ultrasonic shear wave elastography as an index of muscle stiffness. Previous studies reported that the shear elastic modulus measured by ultrasound shear wave elastography decreased after SS, and the effects of SS on shear elastic modulus were likely affected by rest duration between sets of SS. Objective: To investigate the acute effects of SS with different rest durations on ROM and shear elastic modulus of gastrocnemius and to clarify whether the rest duration between sets of SS decreases the shear elastic modulus. Design: A randomized, repeated-measures experimental design. Setting: University laboratory. Participants: Sixteen healthy males volunteered to participate in the study (age 21.3 [0.8] y; height 171.8 [5.1] cm; weight 63.1 [4.5] kg). Main Outcome Measures: Each participant underwent 3 different rest interval durations during SS (ie, long rest duration: 90 s; normal rest duration: 30 s; and short rest duration: 10 s). This SS technique was repeated 10 times, thus lasting a total of 300 seconds with different rest durations in each protocol. The dorsiflexion ROM and shear elastic modulus were measured before and after SS. Results: Our results revealed that dorsiflexion ROM and shear elastic modulus were changed after 300-second SS; however, no effects of the rest duration between sets of SS were observed. Conclusions: In terms of decreasing the shear elastic modulus, clinicians and coaches should not focus on the rest duration when SS intervention is performed.

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