Voelkel, Jacob E.

Introduction Reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) is performed for various shoulder pathologies. Inadequate tensioning of the deltoid muscle can lead to complications, highlighting the need for optimization. Preoperative quantification of deltoid health may improve operative execution and outcomes. Shear wave elastography (SWE) quantifies stiffness as a marker for muscle health and tensioning. This study establishes normal reference values for the deltoid in healthy individuals. Methods 40 participants were enrolled, 10 in each 18–30, 31–40, 41–55, and 55 + age groups. Two operators performed SWE in 3 deltoid regions, and the intra- and inter-operator agreement was assessed. Results Mean values were 23.2 ± 4.6, 26.4 ± 5.6, and 17.9 ± 5.2 kPa for the anterior, lateral, and posterior regions. The posterior region did not show any age dependency. However, there were significant differences between the age groups of 18–30 and 55 + years in the anterior (19.7 ± 3.7 vs. 26.7 ± 5.3 kPa) and lateral (22.0 ± 5.4 vs. 30.2 ± 8.8 kPa). Intra-operator reliability ranged from 0.45 to 0.60, and inter-reader agreement from 0.57 to 0.85. Conclusion This study provides reference values of deltoid stiffness which could serve as a comparison with clinical measurements for RSA operative planning and execution and prediction of surgical outcomes.

AbstractBackgroundMany clinicians believe that a patient's body mass index (BMI) affects the likelihood of obtaining high quality ultrasound images.ObjectivesTo assess the hypothesis that increased BMI is associated with worsening focused assessment with sonography in trauma (FAST) image quality.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective single‐center study of FAST examinations performed in a large academic emergency department (ED) with fellowship‐trained emergency ultrasonography faculty performing quality assurance review.ResultsMean (SD) BMI was 28.0 (6.6) among the 302 included studies. The overall quality rating tended to decrease as BMI increased but did not achieve statistical significance in a univariable setting (P = .06) or after adjustment for age and sex (P = .06). Operators perception of image adequacy was largely unaffected by BMI, with the exception of the pericardial view.ConclusionThis study did not identify a statistically significant difference in FAST quality with increased BMI. This result may help assuage clinician concerns about ultrasonography for patients in the ED.