Longitudinal trajectory of medial gastrocnemius muscle growth in the first years of life

• Published in: Developmental medicine and child neurology 2024-04, Vol.66 (4), p.531-540
• Main Authors: De Beukelaer, Nathalie, Vandekerckhove, Ines, Molenberghs, Geert, Naulaers, Gunnar, Thewissen, Liesbeth, Costamagna, Domiziana, Van Campenhout, Anja, Desloovere, Kaat, Ortibus, Els
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cerebral Palsy; Child; Child, Preschool; Female; Humans; Infant; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Muscle, Skeletal - pathology
• ISSN: 0012-1622; 1469-8749
• DOI: 10.1111/dmcn.15763

Aim To define the longitudinal trajectory of gastrocnemius muscle growth in 6‐ to 36‐month‐old children with and without spastic cerebral palsy (SCP) and to compare trajectories by levels of gross motor function (Gross Motor Function Classification System, GMFCS) and presumed brain‐lesion timing. Method Twenty typically developing children and 24 children with SCP (GMFCS levels I–II/III–IV = 15/9), were included (28/16 females/males; mean age at first scan 15.4 months [standard deviation 4.93, range 6.24–23.8]). Three‐dimensional freehand ultrasound was used to repeatedly assess muscle volume, length, and cross‐sectional area (CSA), resulting in 138 assessments (mean interval 7.9 months). Brain lesion timing was evaluated with magnetic resonance imaging classification. Linear mixed‐effects models defined growth rates, adjusted for GMFCS levels and presumed brain‐lesion timing. Results At age 12 months, children with SCP showed smaller morphological muscle size than typically developing children (5.8 mL vs 9.8 mL, p