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Updated: Apr 15, 2026
Measurements of Motor Function and Other Clinical Outcome Parameters in Ambulant Children with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Published on: January 12, 2019
Clinical Muscle Testing Compared with Whole-Body Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Facio-scapulo-humeral Muscular
J U Regula1, L Jestaedt2, F Jende3
1Department of Neurology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 400, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany. jens.regula@med.uni-heidelberg.de.
Objective:
The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical usefulness of whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in facio-scapulo-humeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD).
Methods:
In 20 patients with genetically proven FSHD1, we prospectively assessed muscular involvement and correlated the results of semi-quantitative manual muscle testing and other parameters such as disease duration, creatine kinase (CK) levels and repeat length of the D4Z4 locus with whole-body MRI.
Results:
Clinical muscle testing revealed the trapezius, pectoralis and infraspinatus as the most severely affected muscles in the shoulder, and the knee flexors and gluteus medius in the hip girdle. MRI revealed the trapezius and serratus anterior muscles in the shoulder, and the hamstrings and adductor muscles in the hip girdle, as the most severely affected muscle groups. Overall, degrees of fatty degeneration on MRI scans correlated significantly with clinical weakness. Moreover, we could detect clear affection of the trunk muscles. Corresponding to earlier reports, asymmetric involvement was frequent in both clinical examination and MRI scoring. Moreover, MRI revealed inhomogeneous muscle degeneration in a considerable proportion of both, muscles and patients. Both clinical and MRI scores significantly correlated to disease duration, but not to fragment size or CK levels.
Conclusion:
Fatty degeneration in whole-body MRI correlates well to clinical muscle testing of the extremities but gives more information on deeper or trunk muscles. It shows structural changes in muscular disorders and may become an excellent tool for assessment of muscle involvement and follow-up studies.
