Medical expert of the article
New publications
Echocardiograms of muscles are normal
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
Individual muscle fibers are covered with endomysia, permeated with an abundant network of capillaries and nerve fibers. These muscle fibers are grouped into muscle bundles, surrounded by a perimisium consisting of connective and fatty tissues, vessels and nerves. Muscle fibers are enclosed in a dense connective tissue membrane, called epimizias. The internal structure of the muscle tissue depends on the function of the muscle. If the muscle fibers are located along the long axis of the muscle, then these muscles are designed for easy movements over a long distance. If the muscle fibers (monocotyledons, bicuspid and circumambulate) are located at an angle to the long axis, these muscles are designed to lift weights for a short distance.
Each muscle has an abdomen and two tendons. There may be more than one abdomen, for example, in the rectus abdominis muscle.
There may be several initial attachments in the muscles joining together in one abdomen, for example, in the biceps and triceps muscles of the shoulder, in the quadriceps muscle of the hip. Attaching the muscle to the bone occurs through the tendons and fibrous-bone articulations.
The peristal structure of the muscles is best seen with longitudinal scanning. Muscles look like homogeneous hypoechoic bundles, separated by a set of parallel hyperechoic connective tissue tissues (perimisias) of the "pen" type. These layers gradually pass into the tendon part of the muscle.
With transverse scanning, the muscles look like hypoechoic structures with small-dot patches of the "starry sky" type.
The mode of tissue harmonics more clearly studies the fibrous layers in the muscle tissue and makes the ultrasound image of the muscular tissue more variegated.
Panoramic scanning mode provides visualization all over the muscle, its passage to the tendon and the place of attachment to the bone.
Muscle tissue is always less echogenic than subcutaneous fat or tendons. With a reduction in the thickness of the muscle increases, the course of the fibers changes slightly and the echogenicity of the muscle decreases.
On MP scans, unchanged muscle tissue has an average signal intensity at all standard pulse sequences.
On T1-weighted images, the structure of muscle tissue is non-uniform due to fatty tissue interlayers, whereas on T2-weighted images the muscle tissue of a homogeneous structure of medium intensity, without hyperintensive interlayers of adipose tissue.
[