Abstract
Sarcopenia is a disease characterized by decreased skeletal muscle mass, strength,
and loss of function that can impair quality of life and increase physical disability,
adverse metabolic effects, and mortality. This review familiarizes the reader with
ultrasound (US)-based biomarkers for sarcopenia with a discussion of these topics:
why assessing sarcopenia is relevant for radiologists, how to evaluate muscle structure
with US, the current challenges or pitfalls of these biomarkers, and the implications
of all the available evidence. It summarizes the most up-to-date literature on the
pathophysiology behind the use of these US-based biomarkers, the biomarkers themselves,
and a protocol used for their assessments. The article also describes representative
examples that reflect modern practice in the field. Imaging is routinely used in clinical
practice, and radiologists can play an important role in the evaluation of geriatric
patients, providing an unprecedented opportunity to improve decision support in sarcopenia
prevention and treatment.
Keywords
sarcopenia - ultrasound - computed tomography - muscle - biomarkers
