A New Soft Tissue Volume Measurement Strategy Using Ultrasonography

Various techniques are available for measuring the status of lymphedema. A modified imaging technique using ultrasonography was developed to measure the structure of soft tissue area in a cost-effective manner. The purpose of this study was to measure the reliability and the accuracy of this new method. Ultrasonography was performed on both arms of twenty healthy female participants. At 10 cm above (AE) and below (BE) the elbow crease, soft tissue thickness at medial, lateral, inferior, and superior locations were measured by two examiners with minimal unnecessary pressure. After measuring twice on 16 sites for each participant, the amount of soft tissue in the cross-sectional area (Delta CSA) was acquired by a designed formulation. The Delta CSA was also compared with volumetry data (Perometer (R)). Cronbach's alpha coefficient test was used for statistics. The intraclass and inter-class reliability measurements for all soft tissue areas were very strong (alpha = 0.980 and 0.960, respectively; p < 0.01). All AE and BE reliabilities showed very strong correlation and strong correlation of inter-BE measurement. All reliabilities of Delta CSA were very strong (>= 0.950). All CCs (correlation coefficients) between Delta CSA, circumference, and volumetry were strong for AE and BE measurements, except for Delta CSA and circumference at BE. The strongest CC was between volumetry and circumference measurements. This study suggests that measuring the Delta CSA by ultrasonography could be an alternative way to measure the status of soft tissue indirectly with structural consideration.