FISCHER Arabella

Previous University and Subject: Medical University of Vienna / Human Medicine

Thesis since: 03/2016

Validation of Bedside Ultrasound to Predict Computer Tomography-Based Whole Body Muscle Volume in Non- and Critically Ill Patients: A Prospective Study

Whole body muscle mass influences pharmacokinetics, morbidity, functional status and mortality. The development of an easy diagnostic method to predict whole body muscle mass is important to offer prophylactic and therapeutic measures.

The cross-sectional muscle area at the third lumbar vertebra (L3) region on a routine abdominal computer tomography (CT) scan can estimate whole body muscle mass. As an alternative to CT, muscle ultrasonography is an easy, safe and bedside technique which excellent predicts whole body muscle mass in healthy people. It is unknown whether muscle ultrasonography can predict whole body muscle mass equally well in patients.

This thesis project is a substudy of the USVALID prospective trial. At the Medical University of Vienna 200 patients and 50 critically ill patients are included. Patients are eligible if they have a cross-sectional abdominal CT scan including the level of L3 vertebra for any clinical reason. Patients are then included if the ultrasound examination of the anterior thighs and upper arms takes place within 24 h after the CT scan.

The objective of the thesis project is to validate the use of muscle ultrasonography for prediction of whole body muscle mass in non- and critically ill patients. Primary outcome is the prediction of CT-based whole body muscle volume from ultrasound-based muscle layer thickness.

Methods and Skills:

Clinical studies; medical statistics; ultrasonography

Publications:

Fischer A, Spiegl M, Altmann K, Winkler A, Salamon A, Themessl-Huber M, Mouhieddine M, Strasser EM, Schiferer A, Paternostro-Sluga T, Hiesmayr M: Muscle mass, strength and functional outcomes in critically ill patients after cardiothoracic surgery: does neuromuscular electrical stimulation help? The Catastim 2 randomized controlled trial. Critical Care 20: 30, 2016