Validity of Ultrasound Velocity to detect changes in the hydration status of Male and Female Athletes during Acute Dehydration and Rehydration

Recent work by Utter, Mcanulty, Sarvazyan, Query, & Landram, (2010) determined that UV could be used to measure changes in the hydration status of male collegiate wrestlers undergoing acute dehydration. However there was a large amount of individual variability amongst participants. Additionally, Utter et al. (2010), only examined male athletes and not female athletes leaving a significant population gap in the potential use of UV for hydration status in a collegiate athletic setting. This paper further explores the validity of ultrasound velocity (UV) as a less invasive form of hydration assessment using improved technology than that used by Utter et al. (2010) in both male and female athletes. Key Words: ultrasound velocity, dehydration, athletes, plasma osmolality, urine specific gravity, total body water