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Updated: Aug 30, 2025
Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Skeletal Muscle Disease
Published on: December 18, 2016
Longitudinal Changes in MRI Muscle Morphometry and Composition in People With Inclusion Body Myositis
Didier Laurent1, Jon Riek2, Christopher D J Sinclair2
1From the Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research (D.L., P.H., R.R., D.A.P.), Basel, Switzerland; BioTel Research (J.R.), Rochester, NY; Neuroradiological Academic Unit (C.D.J.S., T.A.Y., J.S.T.), UCL Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom; Isomics Inc. (A.N., S.P.), Cambridge, MA; Department of Medical Physics and Informatics (A.N.), University of Szeged, Hungary; Lysholm Department of Neuroradiology (T.A.Y.), National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery; Department of Neuromuscular Diseases (M.G.H., P.M.M.), UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London; and Centre for Rheumatology (P.M.M.), Department of Inflammation, Division of Medicine, University College London, United Kingdom. didier.laurent@novartis.com.
Background And Objectives:
Limited data suggest that quantitative MRI (qMRI) measures have potential to be used as trial outcome measures in sporadic inclusion body myositis (sIBM) and as a noninvasive assessment tool to study sIBM muscle pathologic processes. Our aim was to evaluate changes in muscle structure and composition using a comprehensive multiparameter set of qMRI measures and to assess construct validity and responsiveness of qMRI measures in people with sIBM.
Methods:
This was a prospective observational cohort study with assessments at baseline (n = 30) and 1 year (n = 26). qMRI assessments include thigh muscle volume (TMV), inter/intramuscular adipose tissue (IMAT), muscle fat fraction (FF), muscle inflammation (T2 relaxation time), IMAT from T2* relaxation (T2*-IMAT), intermuscular connective tissue from T2* relaxation (T2*-IMCT), and muscle macromolecular structure from the magnetization transfer ratio (MTR). Physical performance assessments include sIBM Physical Functioning Assessment (sIFA), 6-minute walk distance, and quantitative muscle testing of the quadriceps. Correlations were assessed using the Spearman correlation coefficient. Responsiveness was assessed using the standardized response mean (SRM).
Results:
After 1 year, we observed a reduction in TMV (6.8%, p < 0.001) and muscle T2 (6.7%, p = 0.035), an increase in IMAT (9.7%, p < 0.001), FF (11.2%, p = 0.030), connective tissue (22%, p = 0.995), and T2*-IMAT (24%, p < 0.001), and alteration in muscle macromolecular structure (ΔMTR = -26%, p = 0.002). A decrease in muscle T2 correlated with an increase in T2*-IMAT (r = -0.47, p = 0.008). Deposition of connective tissue and IMAT correlated with deterioration in sIFA (r = 0.38, p = 0.032; r = 0.34, p = 0.048; respectively), whereas a decrease in TMV correlated with a decrease in quantitative muscle testing (r = 0.36, p = 0.035). The most responsive qMRI measures were T2*-IMAT (SRM = 1.50), TMV (SRM = -1.23), IMAT (SRM = 1.20), MTR (SRM = -0.83), and T2 relaxation time (SRM = -0.65).
Discussion:
Progressive deterioration in muscle quality measured by qMRI is associated with a decline in physical performance. Inflammation may play a role in triggering fat infiltration into muscle. qMRI provides valid and responsive measures that might prove valuable in sIBM experimental trials and assessment of muscle pathologic processes.
Classification Of Evidence:
This study provides Class I evidence that qMRI outcome measures are associated with physical performance measures in patients with sIBM.
