Muscle imaging – mri

In Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), dystrophin is absent and muscles are progressively replaced by fat in a specific order. The reason for this is unknown. The location of dystrophin and the reduced force propagation in DMD patients suggest that architectural muscle characteristics could play a role. We used MRI datasets acquired at 3 yearly intervals and associated muscle architecture to progression of muscle fat fraction (FF), while controlling for the effect of age on disease progression. FF was obtained from 3-Point Dixon MRI scans of 22 DMD patients (age 6-16 years) in 17 leg muscles and associated with pre-defined adult muscle characteristics (mass, fiber length and physiological cross-sectional area (PCSA)) from literature using a linear mixed-effects model, with age and muscle characteristics as fixed effects.
Source: Neuromuscular Disorders - Category: Neurology Authors: Source Type: research