Clinical Relevance of Ultrasound-based Intramuscular Fat Infiltration Assessment in Hospitalized Older Adults (FATUS-OLD)

Sarcopenia in older adults is associated not only with loss of muscle mass but also with deterioration of muscle quality, particularly intramuscular fat infiltration. While muscle mass is commonly assessed, muscle quality remains insufficiently explored in routine clinical practice. The FATUS-OLD study aims to evaluate the clinical relevance of a novel ultrasound-based multiparametric approach to assess intramuscular fat infiltration and muscle volume in hospitalized older adults undergoing rehabilitation. The main hypothesis is that higher intramuscular fat infiltration at baseline is associated with poorer recovery of physical performance at 6 months, independently of muscle volume. This non-invasive, rapid, and radiation-free imaging approach could improve sarcopenia phenotyping and help identify new prognostic biomarkers for clinical follow-up and future interventional trials.

NCT Number	NCT07411547
Lead Sponsor	Nantes University Hospital Collaborators: AGENCE NATIONALE DE RECHERCHE
Conditions	Physical Performance Decline in Older Adults, Sarcopenia, Muscle Fat Infiltration
Enrollment	115 participants
Start Date	2026-05-21
Primary Completion	2028-11-21 (estimated)
Study Completion	2028-11-21 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2026-06-25