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Advances in Ultrasound Imaging and Sensing for the Clinician, Researcher, and Educator

A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomedical Sensors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2024 | Viewed by 1152

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
School of Kinesiology, Marshall University, Huntington, WV, USA
Interests: sports medicine; biomechanics; shoulder kinematics; ultrasound imaging motion capture

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

High-frequency sonic energy is used to treat and diagnose disease and pathology. The images formed from the echo produced when soundwaves pass through biological tissues of differing density, chemical composition, and physical makeup are used by clinicians, researchers, and educators to study the anatomy of many organisms. Advances in ultrasound imaging technology have improved the quality of ultrasound images, as well as the cost and portability of ultrasound equipment. Point-of-care ultrasound imaging is practical and affordable owing to improvements in ultrasound technology. The same improvements in ultrasound technology has led to increased research activity, improving the understanding of disease, injury, and healing mechanisms. This Special Issue of Sensors will explore several areas of ultrasound imaging that have advanced over the previous several years. 

  1. Define normal and abnormal musculoskeletal anatomy;
  2. Determine the relationship between musculoskeletal anatomy, motion, and MSK injury or impairment;
  3. Determine normal and abnormal blood flow and tissue perfusion;
  4. Determine the mechanical parameters of biological tissues;
  5. Aid in the delivery of medication and therapeutic agents;
  6. Aid in the diagnostic accuracy of clinical tests;
  7. Serve as an educational aid;
  8. Improved portability and access to imaging technology.

Prof. Dr. Mark K. Timmons
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sensors is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • elastography
  • localized injection
  • tissue biopsy
  • clinical test utility
  • abdominal injury
  • thoracic injury
  • arterial occlusion
  • venous thrombosis
  • musculoskeletal injury

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

12 pages, 1846 KiB  
Article
Levator Scapulae Stiffness Measurement Reliability in Individuals with and without Chronic Neck Pain by Experienced and Novel Examiners
by Umut Varol, Juan Antonio Valera-Calero, Elena Sánchez-Jiménez, César Fernández-de-las-Peñas, Ricardo Ortega-Santiago, Mateusz D. Kobylarz and Marcos José Navarro-Santana
Sensors 2024, 24(1), 277; https://doi.org/10.3390/s24010277 - 3 Jan 2024
Viewed by 947
Abstract
The levator scapulae muscle is a key structure in the etiopathology of neck and shoulder musculoskeletal pain. Although previous studies used shear-wave elastography (SWE) for characterizing this muscle elasticity, limited evidence assessed the inter-examiner reliability of this procedure. This study aimed to analyze [...] Read more.
The levator scapulae muscle is a key structure in the etiopathology of neck and shoulder musculoskeletal pain. Although previous studies used shear-wave elastography (SWE) for characterizing this muscle elasticity, limited evidence assessed the inter-examiner reliability of this procedure. This study aimed to analyze the inter-examiner reliability for calculating Young’s modulus and shear wave speed in a cohort of participants with and without chronic neck pain. A diagnostic accuracy study was conducted, acquiring a set of SWE images at the C5 level in participants with and without neck pain (n = 34 and 33, respectively) by two examiners (one experienced and one novel). After blinding the participants’ identity, examiner involved, and side, the stiffness indicators were calculated by an independent rater in a randomized order. Intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC), standard error of measurement, minimal detectable changes, and coefficient of variation were calculated. Both cohorts had comparable sociodemographic characteristics (p > 0.05). No significant levator scapulae elasticity differences were found between genders, sides, or cohorts (all, p > 0.05). Inter-examiner reliability for calculating Young’s modulus and shear wave speed was moderate-to-good for assessing asymptomatic individuals (ICC = 0.714 and 0.779, respectively), while poor-to-moderate in patients with neck pain (ICC = 0.461 and 0.546, respectively). The results obtained in this study support the use of this procedure for assessing asymptomatic individuals. However, reliability estimates were unacceptable to support its use for assessing elasticity in patients with chronic neck pain. Future studies might consider that the shear wave speed is more sensitive to detect real changes in comparison with Young’s modulus. Full article
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