Longitudinal 2-point dixon muscle magnetic resonance imaging in becker muscular dystrophy.
BACKGROUND
Quantitative MRI techniques detect disease progression in myopathies more sensitively than muscle function measures or conventional MRI. To date, only conventional MRI data using visual rating scales are available for measurement of disease progression in Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD).


METHODS
In 3 patients with BMD (mean age 36.8 years), the mean fat fraction (MFF) of the thigh muscles was assessed by MRI at baseline and at 1-year follow-up using a 2-point Dixon approach (2PD). The motor function measurement scale (MFM) was used for clinical assessment.


RESULTS
The mean MFF of all muscles at baseline was 61.6% (SD 7.6). It increased by 3.7% to 65.3% (SD 4.7) at follow-up. The severity of muscle involvement varied between various muscle groups.


CONCLUSIONS
As in other myopathies, 2PD can quantify fatty muscle degeneration in BMD and can detect disease progression in a small sample size and at relatively short imaging intervals.
Division of Neuropaediatrics, University Children's Hospital Basel, Spitalstrasse 33, Basel, 4031, Switzerland.
Ulrike
U
Bonati
Division of Neuropaediatrics, University Children's Hospital Basel, Spitalstrasse 33, Basel, 4031, Switzerland.
Maurice
M
Schmid
Department of Neurology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
Patricia
P
Hafner
Division of Radiological Physics, Department of Radiology, University of Basel Hospital, Basel, Switzerland.
Tanja
T
Haas
Division of Radiological Physics, Department of Radiology, University of Basel Hospital, Basel, Switzerland.
Oliver
O
Bieri
Division of Radiological Physics, Department of Radiology, University of Basel Hospital, Basel, Switzerland.
Monika
M
Gloor
Division of Neuroradiology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
Arne
A
Fischmann
Division of Neuropaediatrics, University Children's Hospital Basel, Spitalstrasse 33, Basel, 4031, Switzerland.|Department of Neurology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland.|University Clinic of Internal Medicine, Kantonsspital Baselland, Bruderholz, Switzerland.
Dirk
D
Fischer
D000328:Adult; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000473:pathology*; D020388:Muscular Dystrophy, Duchenne / Q000473:pathology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
2-point Dixon method; Becker muscular dystrophy; follow-up; muscle fat fraction; quantitative MRI