Balling, Horst; Holzapfel, Boris Michael; Böcker, Wolfgang; Simon, Dominic; Reidler, Paul; Arnholdt, Jörg (2024): Lumbar Magnetic Resonance Imaging Shows Sex-Specific Alterations During Musculoskeletal Aging - A Radio-Anatomic Investigation Involving 202 Individuals. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 13 (23): 7233. ISSN 2077-0383
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Veröffentlichte Publikation
jcm-13-07233.pdf

Abstract
Background/Objectives: Musculoskeletal aging can clinically hardly be distinguished from degenerative disease, especially if symptoms are nonspecific, like lower back pain and reduced physical resilience. However, age-related changes are considered to be physiological until they cause osteoporotic fractures or sarcopenia-related restrictions. This radio-anatomic investigation examines whether findings in lumbar magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) mirror age- and sex-related musculoskeletal differences that help to identify the onset of sarcopenia. Methods: Lumbar MRI investigations from 101 women and 101 men were retrospectively evaluated for vertebral and muscular cross-sectional diameter sizes and T2-signal intensities (“T2-brightness”) in axial sections in the L5-level. The results were correlated with the individual’s age to find specific alterations that were indicative of sarcopenia or attributable to the aging process. Results: In women (average age 62.6 (34–85) years), musculoskeletal cross-sectional area sizes and diameters were significantly smaller (p < 0.00001) compared to those in men (average age 57.0 (21–90) years). The most pronounced structural age-related change was the increasing mean posterior paravertebral muscle brightness (MPPVB), which exceeded the mean vertebral brightness (MVB) earlier and to a greater extent in women than in men (p < 0.00001). The brightness difference (∆MVB − MPPVB) was found to indicate (pre-)sarcopenia at values below 25. Conclusions: Significant age-related deterioration in muscle quantity and quality was more obvious in women, correlated with the onset of menopause, and progressed to lower levels during aging.
Dokumententyp: | Artikel (Klinikum der LMU) |
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Organisationseinheit (Fakultäten): | 07 Medizin > Klinikum der LMU München > MUM - Muskuloskelettales Universitätszentrum München |
DFG-Fachsystematik der Wissenschaftsbereiche: | Lebenswissenschaften |
Veröffentlichungsdatum: | 02. Jul 2025 06:15 |
Letzte Änderung: | 02. Jul 2025 06:15 |
URI: | https://oa-fund.ub.uni-muenchen.de/id/eprint/1581 |
DFG: | Gefördert durch die Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - 491502892 |