The ability of muscles to produce force depends, among others, on their anatomical features and it is altered by ageing-associated weakening. This MRI-based study quantified for the first time anatomical asymmetry of lower-limb muscles in older women by characterising muscle volume, length, and physiological cross-sectional area (PCSA) and their variability, between body sides and between individuals. Results suggest that symmetry should not be assumed in older women and heavily question the validity of a generic-scaled approach when modelling the musculoskeletal system in older populations. The unique dataset of muscle segmentation made available with this paper could support the development of alternative population-based scaling approaches, together with that of automatic tools for muscle segmentation.
Montefiori, E., Kalkman, B. M., Henson, W. H., Paggiosi, M. A., McCloskey, E. V., Mazzà, C. (2020), “MRI-based anatomical characterisation of lower-limb muscles in older woman”, PLoS ONE, URL: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0242973