Conventional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Abstract

During the past decades, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has become increasingly crucial for diagnosing soft tissue diseases. Particularly in the field of neuromuscular imaging, MRI has dramatically influenced and improved the diagnostic workup. The diagnostic value of MRI has been conclusively and convincingly demonstrated in regard to inherited and inflammatory neuromuscular diseases. In fact, it has almost completely replaced computed tomography (CT) in this field. In addition to the clinical neurological examination and neurophysiological studies, neuromuscular MRI has developed into a valuable complementary diagnostic tool that allows assessment of the degree and, more importantly, the pattern of involvement. This imaging method can therefore be helpful for supporting a clinical diagnosis, limiting the complex range of differential diagnoses, and guiding interventional diagnostic procedures, such as muscle biopsy.