Shear wave elastography assessment of buccinator stiffness in patients of different age groups

Abstract

Objective: to assess the capabilities of lower face muscles stiffness measurement with shear wave elastography in female patients of various age groups.Material and methods. Ultrasound examination with buccinator muscle stiffness measurement in shear wave elastography was performed in 45 healthy female patients divided into three equal groups by the age (20–30, 31–40 and 41–50 years old) with the use of Epiq 5 (Phillips, the Netherlands) with a linear probe (4–18 MHz). Exclusion criteria were: a history of facial soft tissue pathology, neuromuscular disorders, invasive or minimally invasive facial cosmetology, long-term activity with an active use of facial muscles and articulation. The values of Young's modulus (kPa) were measured in the central and lateral parts of the buccinator muscle in the standing and supine positions of the patients.Results. There was no significant differences of Young's modulus in the central and lateral parts measured standing compared to supine position in all age groups (except the lateral part in group 1). A signifi cant progressive decrease of the buccinator muscle stiffness obtained in three age groups with minimal values of Young’s modulus in the age group of 41–50 years: median – from 5.8 to 9.1 kPa (minimum–maximum values – from 4.1 to 11.3 kPa ) depending on the area of measurements and the position of the patient. In patients of the age group 20–30 years – 8.6–13.8 kPa (7.6–16.5 kPa), 31–40 years – 8.0–11.8 kPa (6.0–13.7 kPa ), respectively.Conclusion. Shear wave elastography allows the assessment of age-related changes in soft tissue, as demonstrated by the decrease of buccinator muscle stiffness