Sarcoid myopathy: imaging findings

Sarcoidosis is a granulomatous multisystem disorder that may uncommonly involve muscle. Muscular sarcoid may be nodular, atrophic myopathic, or acute myositic. We illustrate a case of the myopathic type of muscular sarcoid that is unusual because the abdominal wall muscles, rather than the extremity muscles, were involved. Muscular involvement by sarcoid should be considered in the differential diagnosis of focal muscle disease, especially in a patient with a known history of sarcoid. The presence of typical bilateral hilar adenopathy on a chest radiograph as well as the presence of abdominal findings (hepatosplenomegaly and retroperitoneal adenopathy) may help establish the diagnosis. Otherwise, sonographically guided biopsy may be necessary for definitive diagnosis.