Dynamic magnetic resonance imaging of muscle contraction in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 12; no. 1; pp. 7250 - 12
• Main Authors: Deligianni, Xeni, Santini, Francesco, Paoletti, Matteo, Solazzo, Francesca, Bergsland, Niels, Savini, Giovanni, Faggioli, Arianna, Germani, Giancarlo, Monforte, Mauro, Ricci, Enzo, Tasca, Giorgio, Pichiecchio, Anna
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 04.05.2022; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 631/1647/245/1628; 692/53; 692/699/375/374; Dystrophy; Elastic properties; Electrical stimuli; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Magnetic resonance imaging; Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods; multidisciplinary; Muscle Contraction; Muscle, Skeletal - diagnostic imaging; Muscle, Skeletal - pathology; Muscles; Muscular dystrophy; Muscular Dystrophy, Facioscapulohumeral - diagnostic imaging; Muscular Dystrophy, Facioscapulohumeral - pathology; Neuromuscular diseases; Neuromuscular electrical stimulation; Quadriceps Muscle; Science; Science (multidisciplinary)
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-11147-2

Quantitative muscle MRI (water-T2 and fat mapping) is being increasingly used to assess disease involvement in muscle disorders, while imaging techniques for assessment of the dynamic and elastic muscle properties have not yet been translated into clinics. In this exploratory study, we quantitatively characterized muscle deformation (strain) in patients affected by facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD), a prevalent muscular dystrophy, by applying dynamic MRI synchronized with neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES). We evaluated the quadriceps muscles in 34 ambulatory patients and 13 healthy controls, at 6-to 12-month time intervals. While a subgroup of patients behaved similarly to controls, for another subgroup the median strain decreased over time (approximately 57% over 1.5 years). Dynamic MRI parameters did not correlate with quantitative MRI. Our results suggest that the evaluation of muscle contraction by NMES-MRI is feasible and could potentially be used to explore the elastic properties and monitor muscle involvement in FSHD and other neuromuscular disorders.