Abstract: Objective  To investigate the application value of musculoskeletal ultrasound in the evaluation of sarcopenia in maintenance hemodialysis patients. Methods  237 patients with maintenance hemodialysis in the Blood Purification Center of Northern Jiangsu People’s Hospital were selected as the study objects. The grip strength and skeletal muscle index were measured, and the gastrocnemius muscle thickness was measured by ultrasound. Patents were into male and female group. The relationship between gastrocnemius thickness and diagnostic indicators of sarcopenia was analyzed, and the optimal cutoff value of gastrocnemius thickness was analyzed by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves.  Results  The thickness of gastrocnemius was significantly correlated with sarcopenia in maintenance hemodialysis patients. The gastrocnemius muscle thickness was positively correlated with grip strength and skeletal muscle index in general, male and female groups，General (r=0.570, 0.520, P＜0.001); Male group (r=0.631, 0.535, P＜0.001); Female group (r=0.251, 0.356, P=0.017, 0.001). Compared with non-sarcopenia patients, the thickness of gastrocnemius in patients with sarcopenia was significantly reduced. Compared with the non-sarcopenia group, the gastrocnemius muscle thickness was reduced in the male group (t=8.975, P＜0.001) and the female group (t=4.725, P＜0.001). The ROC curves of subjects with sarcopenia predicted by gastrocnemius thickness in maintenance hemodialysis patients of different genders showed that: the area under the curve (AUC), optimal cut-off value, specificity and sensitivity of male group were 0.903, 15.3, 0.882 and 0.823, respectively. The area under the curve, optimal cut-off value, specificity and sensitivity of female suite were 0.868, 14.1, 0.750 and 0.857. Conclusion  Gastrocnemius thickness was positively correlated with grip strength and skeletal muscle index in maintenance hemodialysis patients. If the thickness of gastrocnemius muscle is less than 15.3mm in males and less than 14.1mm in females, it indicates that patients may develop sarcopenia. Clinical staff can use musculoskeletal ultrasound for early screening of sarcopenia in maintenance hemodialysis patients, and make early intervention to improve the quality of life of patients.

Key words: Musculoskeletal ultrasound, Gastrocnemius, Maintenance hemodialysis, Sarcopenia