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Updated: Mar 21, 2026
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Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Skeletal Muscle Disease
Published on: December 18, 2016
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Multi-Parametric MRI Approach at 3 T and 7 T for Assessing Skeletal Muscle Pathology in Myofibrillar Myopathies: A
Claudius S Mathy1, Lena V Gast1, Christian Holtzhausen2
1Institute of Radiology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany.
Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle
|March 19, 2026
Summary
Quantitative MRI reveals significant fat and edema changes in myofibrillar myopathies (MFM). Muscle ion balance shifts in MFM patients may serve as new biomarkers for disease progression.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Radiology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Myofibrillar myopathies (MFM) are a group of genetically diverse protein aggregate muscle diseases.
- Investigating novel quantitative MRI protocols to identify structural and biochemical muscle pathology in MFM subtypes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the utility of a novel quantitative MRI protocol in characterizing muscle pathology in MFM.
- To reveal new insights into structural and biochemical alterations in MFM patients.
Main Methods:
- Quantitative MRI at 3T and 7T was used to assess lower leg muscles in MFM patients and healthy controls.
- Techniques included proton density fat fraction (PDFF), water T2 relaxation times, and 39K/23Na MRI for apparent tissue potassium (aTPC) and sodium (aTSC) concentrations.
Main Results:
- MFM patients showed significantly increased fat replacement (PDFF) and edema-like changes in specific lower leg muscles.
- Fat-corrected aTSC values were significantly increased, while aTPC values were reduced in most muscles of MFM patients compared to controls.
Conclusions:
- Quantitative MRI parameters like PDFF and T2 mapping effectively quantify fat and edema in MFM.
- Altered muscle potassium/sodium balance in MFM patients may serve as novel biomarkers for biochemical changes.
