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Clinical applications of skeletal muscle diffusion tensor imaging

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Abstract

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) may allow the determination of new threshold values, based on water anisotropy, to differentiate between healthy muscle and various pathological processes. Additionally, it may quantify treatment monitoring or training effects. Most current studies have evaluated the potential of DTI of skeletal muscle to assess sports-related injuries or therapy, and training monitoring. Another critical area of application of this technique is the characterization and monitoring of primary and secondary myopathies. In this manuscript, we review the application of DTI in the evaluation of skeletal muscle in these and other novel clinical scenarios, with emphasis on the use of quantitative imaging–derived biomarkers. Finally, the main limitations of the introduction of DTI in the clinical setting and potential areas of future use are discussed.

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Acknowledgements

Jose G Raya PhD (Department of Radiology, NYU School of Medicine, NY, USA) for his support and valuable guidance and Dr. Reyes Sanles-Falagan for additional assistance with manuscript formatting and editing.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. MRI Unit, Radiology Department, HT Médica, Jaén, Spain

    Teodoro Martín-Noguerol & Antonio Luna

  2. Centro Rossi, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Rafael Barousse & Ignacio Rossi

  3. Mayo Clinic Department of Radiology, Jacksonville, FL, USA

    Daniel E. Wessell

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  1. Teodoro Martín-Noguerol
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  2. Rafael Barousse
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Correspondence to Teodoro Martín-Noguerol.

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Antonio Luna, MD, PhD is occasional lecturer of Philips, Siemens Healthineers, Bracco and Canon and receives royalties as book editor from Springer-Verlag.

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Key points

• Most current studies have evaluated the potential of DTI of skeletal muscle to assess sports-related injuries or therapy and training monitoring.

• Primary and secondary myopathies may also benefit from the use of skeletal muscle DTI studies.

• Nowadays, DTI should be considered a complementary tool for skeletal muscle assessment.

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Martín-Noguerol, T., Barousse, R., Wessell, D.E. et al. Clinical applications of skeletal muscle diffusion tensor imaging. Skeletal Radiol 52, 1639–1649 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00256-023-04350-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00256-023-04350-3

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