The echo intensity reliability was function of the ROI size. Muscle and gender variability in echo intensity was likely due to differences in fibrous and adipose tissue content and distribution. Possible explanations for the observed correlations between muscle echo intensity and subcutaneous layer thickness include the dependence of both variables on total body adiposity or the direct dependence of the extent of intramuscular fat on the amount of subcutaneous fat.

No abstract

We suggest that muscle ultrasonography provides physiatrists with a practical and accurate tool for identifying individuals with low muscle mass. However, the usability of cut-off values established in our group of healthy younger subjects of white ethnicity to identify low muscle mass in older individuals of different ethnic groups remains to be demonstrated in future studies.