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Monitoring skeletal muscle chronic fatty degenerations with fast T1-mapping

  • Musculoskeletal
  • Published:
European Radiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objectives

To develop a fast, high-resolution T1-mapping sequence dedicated to skeletal muscle imaging, and to evaluate the potential of T1 as a robust and sensitive biomarker for the monitoring of chronic fatty degenerations in a dystrophic disease.

Methods

The magnetic resonance imaging sequence consisted of the acquisition of a 1,000-radial-spokes FLASH echo-train following magnetisation inversion, resulting in 10s scan time per slice. Temporal image series were reconstructed using compressed sensing and T1 maps were computed using Bloch simulations. Ten healthy volunteers and 30 patients suffering from Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) participated in this prospective study, in order to evaluate the repeatability, the precision and the sensitivity of the proposed approach. Intramuscular fat fraction (FF) was also measured using a standard three-point Dixon method. The protocol was approved by a local ethics committee.

Results

The mean T1 evaluated in the thighs muscles of healthy volunteers was 1,199 ± 45 ms, with a coefficient of reproducibility of 2.3%. Mean T1 values were statistically decreased in the thighs of BMD patients and were linearly correlated with intramuscular FF (R = -0.98).

Conclusions

T1-mapping is a good candidate for fast, sensitive and quantitative monitoring of fatty infiltrations in neuromuscular disorders.

Key Points

• A T1 mapping sequence dedicated to skeletal muscle imaging was implemented.

• The acquisition time was 10 s per slice.

• Muscle T1 values were significantly decreased in dystrophic muscles compared to healthy muscles.

• T1 values correlated with intramuscular fat fraction measured by three-point Dixon.

• T1 represents an alternative biomarker for monitoring fatty infiltrations in neuromuscular disorders.

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Abbreviations

BMD :

Becker muscular dystrophy

ES :

Echo spacing

FA :

Flip angle

FF :

Fat fraction

FLASH :

Fast low angle shot

GA :

Golden angle

MRI :

Magnetic resonance imaging

NMD :

Neuromuscular disorder

T1 :

Longitudinal relaxation time

T2 :

Transverse relaxation time

Tacq :

Acquisition time

TD :

Delay time

TE :

Echo time

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Funding

The authors state that this work has not received any funding.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Myology, NMR Laboratory, Bâtiment Babinski, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, 47-83 boulevard Vincent Auriol, 75651, Paris Cedex 13, France

    Benjamin Marty, Bertrand Coppa & Pierre G. Carlier

  2. CEA, DRF, IBFJ, MIRCen, NMR Laboratory, Paris, France

    Benjamin Marty, Bertrand Coppa & Pierre G. Carlier

Authors
  1. Benjamin Marty
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  2. Bertrand Coppa
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  3. Pierre G. Carlier
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Benjamin Marty.

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Guarantor

The scientific guarantor of this publication is Benjamin Marty, Ph.D.

Conflict of interest

The authors of this manuscript declare no relationships with any companies, whose products or services may be related to the subject matter of the article.

Statistics and biometry

No complex statistical methods were necessary for this paper.

Informed consent

Written informed consent was obtained from all subjects (patients) in this study.

Ethical approval

Institutional Review Board approval was obtained.

Methodology

• prospective

• experimental

• performed at one institution

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Marty, B., Coppa, B. & Carlier, P.G. Monitoring skeletal muscle chronic fatty degenerations with fast T1-mapping. Eur Radiol 28, 4662–4668 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-018-5433-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-018-5433-z

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