Detection of Muscle Quality in Children - Protocol for a Validation Study
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- This is an observational study: the protocol does not assign a study treatment.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Ultrasonography. Basic parameters: 10 years — 14 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Czechia
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
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Official title
Use of Ultrasound Echo Intensity for the Detection of Muscle Quality in Children - Protocol for a Validation Study
Overview
The goal of this observational study is to evaluate the validity and reliability of ultrasound echo intensity (EI) as a diagnostic tool for assessing muscle quality in children aged 10-14 years, including normal-weight, obese, and trained young athletes. The main questions it aims to answer are: Can EI reliably and accurately measure muscle quality in children when validated against gold-standard techniques like DXA and isokinetic dynamometry? What are the age-, sex-, and fitness-specific benchmarks for EI to differentiate between normal and pathological muscle quality?
Primary outcome measures
- Echo intensity of the vastus lateralis (VL) and rectus femoris (RF) muscles [Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year]
Secondary outcome measures (2)
- Skeletal Muscle Mass [Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year]
- Muscle Strength [Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Generally healthy children
Exclusion criteria
- Acute illnesses
- Chronic or acute diseases of the endocrine or musculoskeletal systems
- Post-traumatic conditions
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: Yes
Study design
- Observational model
- Other
Study locations
Czechia · 1 center
- Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Charles University — Prague
Publications
- Jandova T, Kinkorova I, Vetrovsky T, Mala J, Musilova E, Steffl M, Narici MV. Can ultrasound echo intensity assess muscle quality in children aged 10-14 years? Protocol for a cross-sectional validation study in Czech children. BMJ Open. 2025 Sep 26;15(9):e100495. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2025-100495. PMID 41005786
Identifiers
NCT: NCT06792279 · EK 101/2024