Teleguided self-ultrasound scanning for longitudinal monitoring of muscle mass during spaceflight
Jessica M. Scott,
Meghan Downs,
David S. Martin,
Erik Hougland,
Laura Sarmiento,
Natalia Arzeno,
Donald R. Pettit,
Robert Ploutz-Snyder,
David Cunningham,
Lee W. Jones,
Richard Do,
Lori Ploutz-Snyder
Affiliations
Jessica M. Scott
Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 485 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10017, USA; Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10017, USA; Corresponding author
Meghan Downs
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Houston, TX 77058, USA
David S. Martin
KBRWyle, Houston, TX 77058, USA
Erik Hougland
Leidos, Houston, TX 77058, USA
Laura Sarmiento
MEIT, Houston, TX 77058, USA
Natalia Arzeno
Infinx Healthcare, Austin, TX, USA
Donald R. Pettit
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Houston, TX 77058, USA
Robert Ploutz-Snyder
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
David Cunningham
Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44109, USA; MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland, OH 44109, USA
Lee W. Jones
Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 485 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10017, USA; Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10017, USA
Richard Do
Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 485 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10017, USA
Summary: Loss of muscle mass is a major concern for long duration spaceflight. However, due to the need for specialized equipment, muscle size has only been assessed before and after spaceflight where ~20% loss is observed. Here, we demonstrate the utility of teleguided self-ultrasound scanning (Tele-SUS) to accurately monitor leg muscle size in astronauts during spaceflight. Over an average of 168 ± 57 days of spaceflight, 74 Tele-SUS sessions were performed. There were no significant differences between panoramic ultrasound images obtained by astronauts seven days prior to landing and expert sonographer after flight or between change in muscle size assessed by ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging. These findings extend the current capabilities of ultrasound imaging to allow self-monitoring of muscle size with remote guidance.
