title: Quantitative muscle ultrasound versus quantitative magnetic resonance imaging in facioscapulohumeral dystrophy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are non-invasive methods that can be performed repeatedly and without discomfort. In the assessment of neuromuscular disorders it is unknown if they provide complementary information. In this study we tested this for patients with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD).
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed quantitative muscle ultrasound (QMUS) and quantitative MRI (QMRI) of the legs in 5 men with FSHD.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The correlation between QMUS-determined z-scores and QMRI-determined muscle fraction and T1 signal intensity (SI) was very high. QMUS had a wider dynamic range than QMRI, whereas QMRI could detect inhomogeneous distribution of pathology over the length of the muscles.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Both QMUS and QMRI are well suited for imaging muscular dystrophy. The wider dynamic range of QMUS can be advantageous in the follow-up of advanced disease stages, whereas QMRI seems preferable in pathologies such as FSHD that affect deep muscle layers and show inhomogeneous abnormality distributions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology 766, Radboud University Medical Center, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Barbara H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Janssen
authors.forename: Sigrid
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pillen
authors.forename: Nicoline B M
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Voet
authors.forename: Arend
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Heerschap
authors.forename: Baziel G M
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: van Engelen
authors.forename: Nens
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: van Alfen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018450:Disease Progression; D006801:Humans; D007866:Leg; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D020391:Muscular Dystrophy, Facioscapulohumeral / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000379:methods*
keywords: MRI; fascioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy; method comparison; quantitative imaging; quantitative muscle ultrasound