title: In vivo study of cross-sectional skeletal muscle fiber asymmetry with diffusion-weighted MRI.
abstract: Skeletal muscles are highly organized hierarchical structures characterized by an anisotropic arrangement of muscle fibers (myocytes) in fascicles. Due to its unique non-invasive microstructure probing capabilities, diffusion-weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging (DW-MRI) constitutes a valuable non-invasive tool in the study of such fibrous biological tissues. We have implemented a DW-MRI sequence with highly sensitive directional encoding to quantify the microarchitectural properties of human calf muscles at rest. We have specifically focused on a composite model-based analysis of diffusion tensor MRI measurements to quantify in vivo the cross-sectional asymmetry of muscle fiber geometry, which is a microstructural feature well documented in prior histological studies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering and the Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Dimitrios C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Karampinos
authors.forename: Kevin F
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: Brad P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Sutton
authors.forename: John G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Georgiadis
mesh_terms: D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D007866:Leg; D008954:Models, Biological; D018485:Muscle Fibers, Skeletal; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000033:anatomy & histology*