Ultrasound elastography in the assessment of rigidity in Parkinson's disease: a scoping review

Background In individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD), rigidity is a form of muscle hypertonia which manifests as muscular stiffness, leading to altered mechanical properties of muscle tissue. Ultrasound elastography (UE) is an emerging diagnostic imaging technology that can assess muscle stiffness. This scoping review aims to evaluate the current literature on muscular rigidity in PD as measured by UE, examine existing UE assessment methodologies, and propose future directions when measuring muscular rigidity in PD using UE. Methods This scoping review was conducted following specific guidelines and searching these databases: Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science Core Collection, MEDLINE and CINAHL Ultimate. Findings Ten studies were included after screening, using either strain elastography (SE) or shear wave elastography (SWE) to measure muscular rigidity in PD. Muscular rigidity was typically greater in individuals with PD compared to controls, with minimal bilateral differences within PD patients. UE-derived muscular rigidity was associated with clinical manifestations of PD, and rigidity was influenced by joint angle, medications, and therapeutic interventions. However, the included studies assessed rigidity using a wide range of methodologies (e.g., protocol design, system specification, and acquisition methods), which restricts comparability. Significance and interpretation UE demonstrates strong potential as a non-invasive tool for quantifying muscular rigidity in PD, which is increased in these patients. Nevertheless, small sample sizes and inconsistent methodologies undermine definitive conclusions. Future studies should adhere to the methodological recommendations outlined in this review, including the adoption of standardised protocols, larger sample sizes, and robust longitudinal and reliability designs.

Citation

Behraznia, M., Ditroilo, M. and Smith, T. (2025) Ultrasound elastography in the assessment of rigidity in Parkinson's disease: a scoping review. Clinical Biomechanics, 130, 106680.

Type

Journal article

Language

en

Description

© 2025 The Authors, published by Elsevier. This is an open access article available under a Creative Commons licence. The published version can be accessed at the following link on the publisher’s website: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinbiomech.2025.106680

ISSN

0268-0033

EISSN

1879-1271

Collections

Faculty of Education, Health and Wellbeing