Study sheds light on role of MRI in management of neuromuscular disorders

Julia R. Dahlqvist, Copenhagen University, Copenhagen, Denmark, and colleagues examined the utility of quantitative muscle magnetic resonance imaging (muscle MRI) in the diagnosis of neuromuscular diseases.

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In the study, they discussed muscle features investigated by magnetic resonance imaging, including calculations of fat fraction and lean muscle volume, muscle edema, and fibrosis. They also review MRI changes highly associated with neuromuscular disorders such as Duchenne's muscular dystrophy, Becker muscular dystrophy, limb-girdle muscular dystrophies, and spinal muscular atrophies compared with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Furthermore, they discuss the role of MRI in the prognosis of muscular disorders.

"Muscle fat content correlates with muscle function in neuromuscular diseases, and changes in fat content precede changes in function, which suggests that muscle MRI is a strong biomarker candidate to predict prognosis and treatment efficacy," wrote the authors.

"In this paper, we review the evidence suggesting that muscle MRI may be an important biomarker for diagnosis and to monitor change in disease severity," they concluded.

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The study, "MRI in Neuromuscular Diseases: An Emerging Diagnostic Tool and Biomarker for Prognosis and Efficacy," is published in the journal Annals of Neurology.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ana.25804