MRI of Neuromuscular Disease: The Basics

 

 Buy Article Permissions and Reprints

ABSTRACT

Neuromuscular diseases are numerous and challenging to a variety of clinicians because patients may present to a variety of caregivers with nonspecific complaints. Difficulties in diagnosis and treatment toughen the management of this group. Advancements in the ability to see muscle lesions with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) introduce radiologists to this complex field and at the same time confront clinicians with new issues, such as if and when to tap this technology on behalf of their patients. Like other published reviews on this topic, this article summarizes the current literature regarding MRI applications and limitations in neuromuscular diseases. It also asks, Given the obvious increment that MRI affords the evaluation of neuromuscular conditions, why is the test not applied more often?

REFERENCES

• 1 Engel A G, Franzini-Armstrong C. 2nd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1994 . 
  Google Scholar
• 2 Fleckenstein J L, Chason D P, Parkey R, Weatherall P, Mendelsohn D B. Streamlining MRI of muscle in neuromuscular disorders.  Proc Internatl Soc Magn Reson Med . 1998;  suppl 1074
  PubMedGoogle Scholar
• 3 Dwyer A J, Frank J A, Sank V J. Short-TI inversion recovery pulse sequence: analysis and initial experience in cancer imaging.  Radiology . 1988;  168 827-836
  PubMedGoogle Scholar
• 4 Schedel H, Reimers C D, Vogl T, Witt T N. Muscle edema in MR imaging of neuromuscular diseases.  Acta Radiol . 1995;  36(3) 228-232
  PubMedGoogle Scholar
• 5 el-Noueam K I, Schweitzer M E, Bhatia M, Bartolozzi A R. The utility of contrast-enhanced MRI in diagnosis of muscle injuries occult to conventional MRI.  J Comput Assist Tomogr . 1997;  21 965-968
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 6 Reimers C D, Pongratz D. Classification of neuromuscular diseases. In: Fleckenstein JL, Reimers C, Crues JV, eds. Muscle Imaging in Health and Disease New York: Springer-Verlag 1996: 169-182
  Google Scholar
• 7 World Federation of Neurology Research Committee. Research group on neuromuscular diseases.  J Neurol Sci . 1988;  86 333-360
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 8 Schwartz M S, Swash M, Ingram D A. Patterns of selective involvement of thigh muscles in neuromuscular disease.  Muscle Nerve . 1988;  11 1240-1245
  PubMedGoogle Scholar
• 9 Fleckenstein J L, Weatherall P T, Bertocci L A. Locomotor system assessment by muscle magnetic resonance imaging.  Mag Reson Quart . 1991;  7 79-103
  PubMedGoogle Scholar
• 10 Fleckenstein J L, Watumull D, Conner K. Denervated human skeletal muscle: MRI evaluation.  Radiology . 1993;  187 213-218
  PubMedGoogle Scholar
• 11 Schalke B CG, Hofmann E, Reiners K, Kaiser W. Neuropathies and motor neuron diseases. In: Fleckenstein JL, Reimers C, Crues JV, eds. Muscle Imaging in Health and Disease New York: Springer-Verlag 1996: 203-213
  Google Scholar
• 12 Suput D, Zupan A, Sepe A, Demsar F. Discrimination between neurogenic and myopathic muscle disease using MRI.  Acta Neurol Scan . 1993;  87 118-123
  PubMedGoogle Scholar
• 13 Schalke B CG, Hofmann E, Kaiser W. Disorders of the neuromuscular junction. In: Fleckenstein JL, Reimers C, Crues JV, eds. Muscle Imaging in Health and Disease New York: Springer-Verlag 1996: 215-218
  Google Scholar
• 14 DeVisser M, Schalke B CG, Reimers C D. Muscular dystrophies. In: Fleckenstein JL, Reimers C, Crues JV, eds. Muscle Imaging in Health and Disease New York: Springer-Verlag 1996: 219-236
  Google Scholar
• 15 Lamminen A E, Tanttu J I, Sepponen R E. Magnetic resonance of diseased skeletal muscle: combined T1 measurement and chemical shift imaging.  Br J Rad . 1990;  63 591-596
  PubMedGoogle Scholar
• 16 Bulcke J AL, Baert A L. Clinical and Radiological Aspects of Myopathies.  New York: Springer-Verlag 1982: 89-95
  Google Scholar
• 17 Polak J F, Jolesz F A, Adams D F. Magnetic resonance imaging of skeletal muscle prolongation of T1 and T2 subsequent to denervation.  Invest Radiol . 1988;  23 365-369
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 18 Stern L M, Caudrey D J, Clark M S. Carrier detection in Duchenne muscular dystrophy using computed tomography.  Clin Genet . 1985;  27 392-397
  PubMedGoogle Scholar
• 19 Reimers C D, Vogl T J. Myotonic dystrophy. In: Fleckenstein JL, Reimers C, Crues JV, eds. Muscle Imaging in Health and Disease New York: Springer-Verlag 1996: 237-243
  Google Scholar
• 20 Lamminen A, Pihko H. Congenital myopathies. In: Fleckenstein JL, Reimers C, Crues JV, eds. Muscle Imaging in Health and Disease New York: Springer-Verlag 1996: 245-252
  Google Scholar
• 21 Fleckenstein J L, Peshock R M, Lewis S F, Haller R G. Magnetic resonance imaging of muscle injury and atrophy in glycolytic myopathies.  Muscle Nerve . 1989;  12(10) 849-855
  PubMedGoogle Scholar
• 22 Cinnamon J, Slonim A E, Black K S. Evaluation of the lumbar spine in patients with glycogen storage disease: CT demonstration of patterns of paraspinal muscle atrophy.  Am J Neuroradiol . 1991;  12 1099-1103
  PubMedGoogle Scholar
• 23 Fleckenstein J L, Haller R G, Lewis S F, Parkey R W, Peshock R M. Absence of exercise-induced MRI enhancement of skeletal muscle in McArdle's disease.  J Appl Physiol . 1991;  71(3) 961-969
  PubMedGoogle Scholar
• 24 Fleckenstein J L, Canby R C, Parkey R W, Peshock R M. Acute effects of exercise on MRI of skeletal muscle in normal volunteers.  Am J Roentgenol . 1988;  151(2) 231-237
  PubMedGoogle Scholar
• 25 Fleckenstein J L, Haller R G, Girson M S, Peshock R M. Focal muscle lesions in mitochondrial myopathy: MR imaging evaluation.  J Magn Reson Imaging . 1992;  2(suppl) 121
  PubMedGoogle Scholar
• 26 Kaminski P, Walker P M. Endocrine myopathies. In: Fleckenstein JL, Reimers C, Crues JV, eds. Muscle Imaging in Health and Disease New York: Springer-Verlag 1996: 269-281
  Google Scholar
• 27 Reimers C D, Schedel H, Fleckenstein J L. Magnetic resonance imaging of skeletal muscles in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies of adults.  J Neurol . 1994;  241 306-314
  PubMedGoogle Scholar
• 28 Schweitzer M E, Fort J G. Polymyositis: MR findings, utility, and cost-effectiveness of MR imaging as a biopsy guide.  Radiology . 1994;  193 259
  PubMedGoogle Scholar
• 29 Pitt A M, Fleckenstein J L, Greenlee Jr G R. MRI-guided biopsy in inflammatory myopathy: initial results.  Magn Reson Imaging . 1993;  11 1093-1099
  PubMedGoogle Scholar