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Updated: May 10, 2026
Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Skeletal Muscle Disease
Published on: December 18, 2016
Generating color-coded anatomic muscle maps for correlation of quantitative magnetic resonance imaging analysis with
Ramin Javan1, Jeffrey J Horvath, Laura E Case
1Department of Radiology, Duke University Medical Center, DUMC 3808, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA.
Introduction:
Fatty infiltration of muscles may be seen in many neuromuscular disorders, including glycogen storage disease (GSD), muscular dystrophy, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Recording pathologic involvement of musculature in these patients is cumbersome, given marked disease heterogeneity within each individual. We describe a novel method for simplifying this process and present its application in a patient with GSD type IIIa.
Methods:
A color-coded visual mapping tool was developed based on a commonly used spreadsheet platform.
Results:
This tool depicts individual muscle groups as shapes linked to data cells corresponding to quantitative MRI-based measures of fatty infiltration and weakness assessed by physical examination. It allows for rapid evaluation and chronological comparison of all mapped muscle groups on a single graphical sheet, as well as assessment of response to therapy.
Conclusion:
This approach can be applied in any neuromuscular disorder where muscle function is assessed by clinical or imaging scores.
