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Sonoelastography of the trunk and lower extremity muscles in a case of Duchenne muscular dystrophy

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Abstract

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a rare genetic disorder typically presenting with muscle weakness and reduced tone of trunk and lower extremities. The sonoelastographic properties of DMD are poorly understood. We describe sonoelastographic characteristics of a patient’s trunk and lower extremity musculature. An 8-year-old male presented with a 5-year history of DMD. Sonoelastographic measures of the gluteus maximus and medius, lumbar erector spinae, rectus abdominis, rectus femoris, biceps femoris, tibialis anterior, medial and lateral gastrocnemius muscles were obtained. Sonoelastography demonstrated increased elasticity by elevated kiloPascals (kPa) across all muscles, except the lumbar erector spinae. Patient values were compared to an age-matched healthy control. These abnormal sonoelastographic findings reflected the pathological mechanical properties of DMD. Sonoelastography was valuable for characterizing the mechanical properties of normal and abnormal muscle tissue. There is limited information on the sonoelastography application to DMD. Sonoelastography may serve as a useful measure for diagnosis and monitoring clinical outcomes for DMD.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Logan University, 1851 Schoettler Rd, Chesterfield, MO, 63017, USA

    Stacey M. Cornelson, Ashley N. Ruff & Norman W. Kettner

  2. Chiropractic Health Centers, Logan University, Chesterfield, MO, USA

    Muriel Perillat

Authors
  1. Stacey M. Cornelson
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  2. Ashley N. Ruff
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  3. Muriel Perillat
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  4. Norman W. Kettner
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Correspondence to Stacey M. Cornelson.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. This article does not contain any studies with animals performed by any of the authors.

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Cornelson, S.M., Ruff, A.N., Perillat, M. et al. Sonoelastography of the trunk and lower extremity muscles in a case of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. J Ultrasound 24, 343–347 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40477-019-00394-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40477-019-00394-1

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