title: In vivo anisotropic mechanical properties of dystrophic skeletal muscles measured by anisotropic MR elastographic imaging: the mdx mouse model of muscular dystrophy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the utility of mechanical anisotropy (shear storage modulus parallel to fiber/shear storage modulus perpendicular to fiber) measured by combined magnetic resonance (MR) elastography and diffusion-tensor imaging ( DTI diffusion-tensor imaging ) technique (anisotropic MR elastography) to distinguish between healthy and necrotic muscle with different degrees of muscle necrosis in the mdx mouse model of muscular dystrophy.
  
  
  METHODS
  The experimental protocol was approved by the regional animal ethics committee. Twenty-one mdx and 21 wild-type ( WT wild type ) mice were used in our study. Animals were divided into exercised and sedentary groups. Anisotropic MR elastography was used to obtain mechanical anisotropic shear moduli for the lateral gastrocnemius and plantaris muscles in a 7-T MR imager, from which the mechanical anisotropic ratio was calculated. The animals were imaged before and after 10 weeks of a horizontal treadmill running protocol. Spearman rank correlations were used to compare MR elastographic data with muscle necrotic area percentage from histologic analysis. Mechanical anisotropy in WT wild type and mdx mice muscle were compared by using t test and one-way analysis of variance, and receiver operating characteristic curves were constructed by using statistical software.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Anisotropic MR elastography was able to be used to distinguish between the muscles of mdx and WT wild type mice, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.8. Strong negative correlation (rs = -0.701; P < .001) between the mechanical anisotropic ratio and the percentage of muscle necrotic area was found. By comparing mice with no or mild (0%-5% mean necrotic area) and severe (>5% mean necrotic area) muscle necrosis, an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.964 was achieved. Diffusion parameters alone were unable to distinguish between the WT wild type and mdx mice at any time point.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The mechanical anisotropic ratio of the shear storage moduli measured by an anisotropic MR elastographic technique can distinguish between healthy muscle and dystrophic muscle.
authors.affiliation: From the Neuroscience Research Australia, Barker St, Randwick, 2031, Australia (E.C.Q., L.J., L.E.B.); University of New South Wales, Prince of Wales Clinical School, Randwick, Australia (E.C.Q., L.E.B.); Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, CRB3, UMR 773, Inserm, Clichy, France (S.A.L.); Department of Pathologic Anatomy, Hôpital Beaujon, Clichy, France (V.P.); and Department of Biomedical Engineering, King's College London, London, England (R.S.).
authors.forename: Eric C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.forename: Lauriane
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jugé
authors.forename: Simon A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Lambert
authors.forename: Valérie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Paradis
authors.forename: Ralph
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sinkus
authors.forename: Lynne E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Bilston
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016880:Anisotropy; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D051379:Mice; D018101:Mice, Inbred mdx; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009136:Muscular Dystrophies / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity