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  • Subcutaneous fat patterning in athletes: selection of appropriate sites and standardisation of a novel ultrasound measurement technique: ad hoc working group on body composition, health and performance, under the auspices of the IOC Medical Commission

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Original article
Subcutaneous fat patterning in athletes: selection of appropriate sites and standardisation of a novel ultrasound measurement technique: ad hoc working group on body composition, health and performance, under the auspices of the IOC Medical Commission
  1. Wolfram Müller1,
  2. Timothy G Lohman2,
  3. Arthur D Stewart3,
  4. Ronald J Maughan4,
  5. Nanna L Meyer5,
  6. Luis B Sardinha6,
  7. Nuwanee Kirihennedige5,
  8. Alba Reguant-Closa5,
  9. Vanessa Risoul-Salas5,
  10. Jorunn Sundgot-Borgen7,
  11. Helmut Ahammer1,
  12. Friedrich Anderhuber8,
  13. Alfred Fürhapter-Rieger1,
  14. Philipp Kainz1,
  15. Wilfried Materna9,
  16. Ulrike Pilsl8,
  17. Wolfram Pirstinger1,
  18. Timothy R Ackland10
  1. 1Medical University of Graz, Institute of Biophysics, Graz, Austria
  2. 2University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
  3. 3Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, UK
  4. 4Loughborough University, School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Loughborough, UK
  5. 5University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
  6. 6Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
  7. 7The Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, Oslo, Norway
  8. 8Medical University of Graz, Institute of Anatomy, Graz, Austria
  9. 9Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
  10. 10University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
  1. Correspondence to Professor Wolfram Müller, Medical University of Graz, Institute of Biophysics, Harrachgasse 21/4, Graz 8010, Austria; wolfram.mueller{at}medunigraz.at

Abstract

Background Precise and accurate field methods for body composition analyses in athletes are needed urgently.

Aim Standardisation of a novel ultrasound (US) technique for accurate and reliable measurement of subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT).

Methods Three observers captured US images of uncompressed SAT in 12 athletes and applied a semiautomatic evaluation algorithm for multiple SAT measurements.

Results Eight new sites are recommended: upper abdomen, lower abdomen, erector spinae, distal triceps, brachioradialis, lateral thigh, front thigh, medial calf. Obtainable accuracy was 0.2 mm (18 MHz probe; speed of sound: 1450 m/s). Reliability of SAT thickness sums (N=36): R2=0.998, SEE=0.55 mm, ICC (95% CI) 0.998 (0.994 to 0.999); observer differences from their mean: 95% of the SAT thickness sums were within ±1 mm (sums of SAT thicknesses ranged from 10 to 50 mm). Embedded fibrous tissues were also measured.

Conclusions A minimum of eight sites is suggested to accommodate inter-individual differences in SAT patterning. All sites overlie muscle with a clearly visible fascia, which eases the acquisition of clear images and the marking of these sites takes only a few minutes. This US method reaches the fundamental accuracy and precision limits for SAT measurements given by tissue plasticity and furrowed borders, provided the measurers are trained appropriately.

This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2015-095641

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