Assessing the oral and suprahyoid muscles in healthy adults using muscle ultrasound to inform the swallowing process: a proof-of-concept study

Assessing the oral and suprahyoid muscles in healthy adults using muscle ultrasound to inform the swallowing process: a proof-of-concept study | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Assessing the oral and suprahyoid muscles in healthy adults using muscle ultrasound to inform the swallowing process: a proof-of-concept study Eileen Kelly, Saira Nazeer, Brigitta Fazzini, Anna-Liisa Sutt, and 3 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4096013/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 08 Jun, 2024 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted 10 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Introduction : The oral and suprahyoid muscles are responsible for movements of swallowing. Our study aimed to determine the reproducibility of static and dynamic measurements of these muscles using bedside ultrasound equipment. Methods Forty healthy participants were recruited prospectively. Primary outcomes were evaluation of reliability for mass measurements of the anterior bellies of the digastric, mylohyoid, geniohyoid and tongue in B-mode ultrasound. Secondary outcomes were evaluation of geniohyoid muscle layer thickness and function using M-mode. Results Muscle mass measurements demonstrated little within-subject variability. Coefficient of Variance (CoV) across muscles were: anterior belly digastric (5.0%), mylohyoid (8.7%, geniohyoid (5.0%) and tongue (3.2%). A relationship between sex (r 2 = 0.131 p = 0.022) was demonstrated for the geniohyoid muscle, with males having higher transverse Cross Sectional Area (CSA) (14.3 ± 3.6mm vs 11.9 ± 2.5mm, p = 0.002). Tongue size was correlated with weight (r 2 = 0.356, p = 0.001), height (r 2 = 0.156, p0.012) and sex (r 2 = 0.196, p = 0.004). Resting thickness of the geniohyoid muscle layer changed with increasing bolus sizes (f = 3.898, p = 0.026). Velocity increased with bolus size (p = < 0.001, F = 8.974). However swallow time and slope distance did not, potentially influenced by higher coefficients of variation. Conclusion Oral and suprahyoid muscle mass are easily assessed using bedside ultrasound. Ultrasound may provide new information about muscle mass and function during swallowing. Health sciences/Medical research Health sciences/Health care/Diagnosis oral suprahyoid muscles ultrasound muscle mass muscle function Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 08 Jun, 2024 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 29 Apr, 2024 Reviews received at journal 28 Apr, 2024 Reviews received at journal 28 Apr, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 21 Apr, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 18 Apr, 2024 Reviewers invited by journal 18 Apr, 2024 Editor assigned by journal 18 Apr, 2024 Editor invited by journal 18 Apr, 2024 Submission checks completed at journal 18 Apr, 2024 First submitted to journal 13 Mar, 2024 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4096013","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":293804125,"identity":"535d0fdb-ca5c-4489-93c4-1e7a4ef38b8e","order_by":0,"name":"Eileen Kelly","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA80lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDACZuYGEGXAwM7cwPihgiGBCC2MUC1ABrPEGaiWA3j1IGlh4G0jQgs/O2Pjg487GIz5mRnbJCTn3cmTb+A9+PgDHi2SzYzNhjPPMJgBGW0ShdueFRsc4Es2wGeLwWHGNmmge2xADAnJbYcTNzDwmEng02J/mLH991+gFnuQFt45hxPnN/CY/8BrC9ALQMRgBmJI8DYcTmw4wGOG1/sShxmbJXvbJIxBDGuJY0CHHeYxBgY2bsDff/jgh59tNob97c0Hb36oATqsvccQGKUEgQSIYAGTDMyElcMBM77YGAWjYBSMghEMADIGTGunzrO3AAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"Royal London Hospital","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Eileen","middleName":"","lastName":"Kelly","suffix":""},{"id":293804127,"identity":"05981595-2817-4f8a-982f-0eeaf5185a41","order_by":1,"name":"Saira Nazeer","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"The Royal London Hospital, Barts Health NHS 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study","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"oral suprahyoid muscles, ultrasound, muscle mass, muscle function","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4096013/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4096013/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003ch2\u003eIntroduction\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003e : The oral and suprahyoid muscles are responsible for movements of swallowing. Our study aimed to determine the reproducibility of static and dynamic measurements of these muscles using bedside ultrasound equipment.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMethods\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eForty healthy participants were recruited prospectively. Primary outcomes were evaluation of reliability for mass measurements of the anterior bellies of the digastric, mylohyoid, geniohyoid and tongue in B-mode ultrasound. Secondary outcomes were evaluation of geniohyoid muscle layer thickness and function using M-mode.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eResults\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eMuscle mass measurements demonstrated little within-subject variability. Coefficient of Variance (CoV) across muscles were: anterior belly digastric (5.0%), mylohyoid (8.7%, geniohyoid (5.0%) and tongue (3.2%). A relationship between sex (r\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.131 p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.022) was demonstrated for the geniohyoid muscle, with males having higher transverse Cross Sectional Area (CSA) (14.3\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.6mm vs 11.9\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.5mm, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.002). Tongue size was correlated with weight (r\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.356, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.001), height (r\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.156, p0.012) and sex (r\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.196, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.004). Resting thickness of the geniohyoid muscle layer changed with increasing bolus sizes (f\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;3.898, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.026). Velocity increased with bolus size (p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001, F\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;8.974). However swallow time and slope distance did not, potentially influenced by higher coefficients of variation.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eConclusion\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eOral and suprahyoid muscle mass are easily assessed using bedside ultrasound. Ultrasound may provide new information about muscle mass and function during swallowing.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Assessing the oral and suprahyoid muscles in healthy adults using muscle ultrasound to inform the swallowing process: a proof-of-concept study","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2024-04-23 20:07:29","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4096013/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2024-04-30T01:11:28+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2024-04-29T02:48:19+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2024-04-28T21:08:33+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"5a2f5648-93bf-4164-b56d-f4ed140a37be","date":"2024-04-22T01:03:38+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"3752d1bc-de4b-4b50-9644-090da445fe8b","date":"2024-04-18T16:27:27+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2024-04-18T15:12:50+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2024-04-18T15:04:29+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"","date":"2024-04-18T14:57:14+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2024-04-18T14:50:28+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Scientific Reports","date":"2024-03-13T22:08:45+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"414b7993-f87c-462c-a501-ad7c87cd4db4","owner":[],"postedDate":"April 23rd, 2024","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[{"id":30963848,"name":"Health sciences/Medical research"},{"id":30963849,"name":"Health sciences/Health care/Diagnosis"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2024-06-21T14:48:21+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-4096013","link":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-62032-z","journal":{"identity":"scientific-reports","isVorOnly":false,"title":"Scientific Reports"},"publishedOn":"2024-06-08 14:48:21","publishedOnDateReadable":"June 8th, 2024"},"versionCreatedAt":"2024-04-23 20:07:29","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1038/s41598-024-62032-z","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-62032-z","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-4096013","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-4096013","identity":"rs-4096013","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"qtupq5eGEP_6zYnWcrvyt","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}