José J. Rivera-Sánchez, Departamento de Geriatría, Hospital General de México “Dr. Eduardo Liceaga”, Ciudad de México, México
Laura P. Burgos-Morelos, Departamento de Geriatría, Hospital General de México, Ciudad de México, México
Daniel Castillo-Castillo, Departamento de Geriatría, Hospital General de México, Ciudad de México, México
Gerardo Méndez-Suárez, Departamento de Geriatría, Hospital General de México, Ciudad de México, México
Juan C. López-Alvarenga, Division of Population Health & Biostatistics, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg, Texas, Estados Unidos de América
Damián Carrillo-Ruíz, Servicio de Neurocirugía Neurofuncional, Hospital General de México, Ciudad de México, México
Background: Currently, assessing muscle volume requires invasive techniques and/or imaging methods, which increases costs and delays evaluation. Moreover, anthropometric measurements are often inaccurate. Objective: To develop a mathematical formula to estimate quadriceps volume. Materials and methods: A total of 127 subjects were evaluated: 40 sedentary adults aged 20 to 35 years, 47 adult athletes aged 20 to 45 years, and 40 sedentary adults aged 70 to 94 years. They were divided into development and validation groups. Anthropometric variables and handgrip strength were measured, and a predictive formula for quadriceps volume was developed. The estimated volume was then compared with the muscle volume obtained via computed tomography (CT). Results: A significant linear relationship was found between quadriceps volume and handgrip strength: original group R2 = 0.887 CT and R2 = 0.901, validation group R2 = 0.878 CT and R2 = 0.907, and combined groups R2 = 0.858 CT and R2 = 0.902. Conclusions: Quadriceps volume estimated using the proposed formula aligns closely with measurements obtained through CT.
Keywords: Computed tomography. Handgrip strength. Mathematical formula. Muscle volume.