Influence of exercise loading on magnetic resonance image texture of thigh soft tissues

• Published in: Clinical physiology and functional imaging Vol. 34; no. 5; pp. 370 - 376
• Main Authors: Sikiö, Minna, Harrison, Lara C. V., Nikander, Riku, Ryymin, Pertti, Dastidar, Prasun, Eskola, Hannu J., Sievänen, Harri
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.09.2014; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Adaptation, Physiological; Bone marrow; Bone Marrow - anatomy & histology; Exercise; fat; Female; femoral; Femur - anatomy & histology; Humans; impact; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; muscle; Muscle, Skeletal - anatomy & histology; Physical Fitness; Predictive Value of Tests; quantitative analysis; sport; Subcutaneous Fat - anatomy & histology; Thigh; femoral; impact; muscle; fat; quantitative analysis; sport; bone marrow
• ISSN: 1475-0961; 1475-097X
• DOI: 10.1111/cpf.12107

Summary Adaptation to exercise training can affect bone marrow adiposity; muscle–fat distribution; and muscle volume, strength and architecture. The objective of this study was to identify exercise‐load‐associated differences in magnetic resonance image textures of thigh soft tissues between various athlete groups and non‐athletes. Ninety female athletes representing five differently loading sport types (high impact, odd impact, high magnitude, repetitive low impact and repetitive non‐impact), and 20 non‐athletic clinically healthy female controls underwent magnetic resonance imaging. Five thigh muscles, subcutaneous fat and femoral bone marrow were analysed with co‐occurrence matrix‐based quantitative texture analysis at two anatomical levels of the dominant leg. Compared with the controls thigh muscle textures differed especially in high‐impact and odd‐impact exercise‐loading groups. However, all sports appeared to modulate muscle textures to some extent. Fat tissue was found different among the low‐impact group, and bone marrow was different in the high‐impact group when compared to the controls. Exercise loading was associated with textural variation in magnetic resonance images of thigh soft tissues. Texture analysis proved a potential method for detecting apparent structural differences in the muscle, fat and bone marrow.