| Sarcopenia is a complex geriatric syndrome which is characterized by the loss of muscle mass and function. The incidence of sarcopenia worldwide is increasing year by year, and it has become one of the important risk factors threatening the health of the elderly and affecting their quality of life. The diagnostic criteria was raised by the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP), International Sarcopenia Consensus Conference Working Group (ISCCWG) and Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS), and the diagnosis is based on the mass and the strength of skeletal muscle. Muscle mass reduction is the only symptom in the early phase, while the decrease of the muscle strength or physical activity will follow in the stage of sarcopenia, in the end, both of the aforementioned syndromes will occur. Methods for quantitative measurement of SM include CT, MRI, ultrasound, DXA, BIA, and so on. With the development of technology, one of the most important screening targets was quantitative measurement of skeletal muscle. The main application CT body composition measurement is to serve as the golden standard to calibrate other methods; MRI plays a more and more important role in the assessment of SM; DXA and BIA are generally accepted as the screening tools for sarcopenia and have their own diagnostic threshold, but their accuracy is moderate. ultrasound has the advantages of being economic, portable and efficient, but its detection ability of body composition is limited. This review highlights the quantitative measurement of SM. |