{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,8]],"date-time":"2026-01-08T03:22:40Z","timestamp":1767842560288,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":59,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,12,24]],"date-time":"2023-12-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1703376000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Mahidol University scholarship"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Animals"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Quadriceps contracture is an abnormal pathological shortening of the muscle\u2013tendon unit. To improve the prognosis of quadriceps contracture, improvement of its diagnostic method is needed. In this study, we evaluated the diagnostic utility of ultrasound shear wave elastography in a rat model of quadriceps contracture induced by immobilization. Fifty Wistar rats were randomly divided into control and immobilization groups. During up to 4 weeks of joint immobilization, the quadriceps elastic modulus, muscle hardness, creatinine phosphokinase levels, joint range of motion, histopathologic parameters, and levels of fibrosis-associated mRNA expression were measured every week in the immobilization and control groups and compared. In the immobilization group, the elastic modulus gradually but significantly increased (p &lt; 0.05) throughout the immobilization period. However, muscle hardness and serum creatinine phosphokinase levels only increased at 1 and 2 weeks after the start of immobilization, respectively. Muscle atrophy and shortening progressed throughout the immobilization group. Collagen type I and III, \u03b1-SMA protein, and mRNA expression of IL-1\u03b2 and TGF-\u03b21 significantly increased (p &lt; 0.05) throughout in the immobilization group. Ultrasound shear wave elastography is the most useful method for clinical assessment of muscle contracture.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ani14010076","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,12,24]],"date-time":"2023-12-24T20:49:27Z","timestamp":1703450967000},"page":"76","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Usefulness of Ultrasound Shear Wave Elastography for Detection of Quadriceps Contracture in Immobilized Rats"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0253-5343","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Kanokwan","family":"Suwankanit","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging, Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwai-cho, Tokyo 183-0054, Japan"},{"name":"Department of Clinical Sciences and Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom 73170, Thailand"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9172-1131","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Miki","family":"Shimizu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging, Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwai-cho, Tokyo 183-0054, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6047-8127","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Kazuhiko","family":"Suzuki","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Veterinary Toxicology, Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwai-cho, Tokyo 183-0054, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0660-7156","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Masahiro","family":"Kaneda","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Veterinary Anatomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwai-cho, Tokyo 183-8509, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,12,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Fossum, T.W. 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