title: [Characterization of muscular involvement in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy by magnetic resonance imaging].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the order and degree of muscular affection in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) during the course of disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Multiplex ligation dependent probe amplification (MLPA) was used to detect potential mutation of dystrophin gene. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to scan the anteromedial aspect of thigh muscles.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All of the 6 patients were found to have deletion or duplication mutations. The order of affection has been gluteus maximus, adductor magnus, quadriceps femoris, rectus femoris and biceps muscle of the thigh, while semimembranous muscle, semitendinosus, sartorius muscle and musculus gracilis are selectively affected and in a decreasing order.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MRI can reflect the order, extent and degree of skeletal muscle involvement in patients with DMD, and can reflect pathological changes of damaged skeletal muscle at each stage, which may provide an important means for patient examination and diagnosis. No apparent correlation between the severity of disease and the nature of mutations was noted.
authors.affiliation: Nanshan Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical College, Shenzhen, Guangdong 510080, P. R. China. Email: chengzhang100@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Shanwei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Huiyu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Cheng
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016189:Dystrophin / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D020388:Muscular Dystrophy, Duchenne / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000235:genetics; D009154:Mutation; D011859:Radiography; D017384:Sequence Deletion
chemical_list: D016189:Dystrophin