title: Quantitative skeletal muscle ultrasound: diagnostic value in childhood neuromuscular disease.
abstract: In this study we investigated the diagnostic value of quantitative skeletal muscle ultrasonography in 150 consecutively referred children with symptoms suspect for a neuromuscular disorder. Muscle thickness and quantitatively determined echo intensity of four muscles and the distribution of these variables within the body were examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with and without a neuromuscular disorder could be discriminated with a positive predictive value of 91% and a negative predictive value of 86%. Patients with a neurogenic disorder could be distinguished from myopathies and non-neuromuscular disorders with a positive predictive value of 86% and a negative predictive of 84%, using the pattern of distribution of pathology within the body.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Skeletal muscle ultrasound is a good, practical and non-invasive aid in the diagnosis of neuromuscular disorders in children, that is able to discriminate between children with and without a neuromuscular disorder and between neurogenic disorders and myopathies with high predictive values.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Institute of Neurology, Neuromuscular Centre Nijmegen, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands. s.pillen@cukz.umcn.nl
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pillen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Verrips
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: van Alfen
authors.forename: I M P
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Arts
authors.forename: L T L
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Sie
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Zwarts
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D009468:Neuromuscular Diseases / Q000145:classification / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012016:Reference Values; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000379:methods