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Role of MRI in Diagnosis and Management of Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathies

  • Inflammatory Muscle Disease (R Aggarwal, Section Editor)
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Abstract

The idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) represent a heterogeneous group of muscle diseases. Given their potential amenability to immunosuppressive treatment, the early diagnosis of the IIM subtype and the exclusion of “myositis mimics” are of great importance. MRI can visualize muscle edema, fatty replacement, atrophy, subcutaneous pathology, and fasciitis. MRI furthermore provides information about the distribution of muscle involvement and help in guiding of muscle biopsy. This review discusses significant MRI developments aimed at improving the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity, and at assessing IIM activity and damage. The manuscript also highlights techniques such as magnetic resonance spectroscopy, blood oxygenation level-dependent MRI, and diffusion-weighted MRI and T2 mapping which may in the future allow to better characterize vascular involvement, metabolic reserves, dynamic muscle recruitment, and treatment outcome.

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Dr. Maurer and Dr. Walker have nothing to disclose.

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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors

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  1. Division of Rheumatology, University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland

    Britta Maurer

  2. Department of Rheumatology, Unispital Basel, Petersgraben 4, CH-4031, Basel, Switzerland

    Ulrich A Walker

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  1. Britta Maurer
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Correspondence to Ulrich A Walker.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Inflammatory Muscle Disease

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Maurer, B., Walker, U.A. Role of MRI in Diagnosis and Management of Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathies. Curr Rheumatol Rep 17, 67 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11926-015-0544-x

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