Investigating muscle micro-trauma with time-dependent diffusion and the random permeable barrier model

Repetitive muscle micro-trauma can result in severe muscle injuries. Diffusion tensor imaging can detect small but significant changes due to muscle micro-trauma, but the sensitivity is limited. Longer and multiple diffusion times can potentially increase the sensitivity to micro-trauma as they facilitate muscle fiber diameter and permeability estimations with the random permeable barrier model (RPBM). In this study, we demonstrated that a diffusion time of 116.7ms showed largest percentage change in DTI indices suggesting an increased sensitivity to exercise-induced muscle micro-trauma after running a marathon. No effect was found in the RPBM-derived membrane permeability and fiber diameter.