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Updated: Apr 29, 2026
Measurements of Motor Function and Other Clinical Outcome Parameters in Ambulant Children with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Published on: January 12, 2019
Quantitative muscle ultrasound in Duchenne muscular dystrophy: a comparison of techniques
Irina Shklyar1, Tom R Geisbush, Aleksandar S Mijialovic
1The Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Introduction:
Muscle pathology in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) can be quantified using ultrasound by measuring either the amplitudes of sound-waves scattered back from the tissue [quantitative backscatter analysis (QBA)] or by measuring these backscattered amplitudes after compression into grayscale levels (GSL) obtained from the images.
Methods:
We measured and compared QBA and GSL from 6 muscles of 25 boys with DMD and 25 healthy subjects, aged 2-14 years, with age and, in DMD, with function (North Star Ambulatory Assessment).
Results:
Both QBA and GSL were measured reliably (intraclass correlation ≥ 0.87) and were higher in DMD than controls (P < 0.0001). In DMD, average QBA and GSL measured from superficial regions of muscle increased (rho ≥ 0.47, P < 0.05) with both higher age and worse function; in contrast, GSL measured from whole regions of muscle did not.
Conclusions:
QBA and GSL measured from superficial regions of muscle can similarly quantify muscle pathology in DMD.
