Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2-12-2015

Abstract

Background

Peripheral artery disease (PAD), which affects an estimated 27 million people in Europe and North America, is caused by atherosclerotic plaques that limit blood flow to the legs. Chronic, repeated ischemia in the lower leg muscles of PAD patients is associated with loss of normal myofiber morphology and myofiber degradation. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that myofiber morphometrics of PAD calf muscle are significantly different from normal calf muscle and correlate with reduced calf muscle strength and walking performance.

Methods

Gastrocnemius biopsies were collected from 154 PAD patients (Fontaine stage II) and 85 control subjects. Morphometric parameters of gastrocnemius fibers were determined and evaluated for associations with walking distances and calf muscle strength.

Results

Compared with control myofibers, PAD myofiber cross-sectional area, major and minor axes, equivalent diameter, perimeter, solidity, and density were significantly decreased (P < 0.005), whereas roundness was significantly increased (P < 0.005). Myofiber morphometric parameters correlated with walking distances and calf muscle strength. Multiple regression analyses demonstrated myofiber cross-sectional area, roundness, and solidity as the best predictors of calf muscle strength and 6-min walking distance, whereas cross-sectional area was the main predictor of maximum walking distance.

Conclusions

Myofiber morphometrics of PAD gastrocnemius differ significantly from those of control muscle and predict calf muscle strength and walking distances of the PAD patients. Morphometric parameters of gastrocnemius myofibers may serve as objective criteria for diagnosis, staging, and treatment of PAD.

Comments

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Elsevier in JOURNAL OF SURGICAL RESEARCH on February 12, 2015, available online: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jss.2015.02.011

Journal Title

Journal of Surgical Research

Volume

196

Issue

1

First Page

172

Last Page

179

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Download

Included in

Biomechanics Commons

Share

COinS