Introduction

Abstract

In July 1976 a 30-year-old patient presented in the Neurology Out-patient Department with a history of progressive gait disturbances since the age of 8 years. The clinical examination revealed moderate proximal muscular weakness, decreased deep tendon reflexes and above all very obvious hypertrophy of the calf muscles. His EMG was characteristic for a myopathy and serum creatine kinase was 655 U/litre (maximum normal level 55 U/litre). The tentative diagnosis was made of an X-linked pseudohypertrophic Becker-type muscular dystrophy. During the ensuing investigation we decided, out of academic curiosity one could say, to examine the patient’s lower extremities by means of CT scanning. Two scans were performed, one through the thigh muscles and a second through the so-called pseudohypertrophic lower leg muscles. These scans, carried out on one of our first slow total body scanners, are shown in Fig. 1.1.