²³Na MRI depicts early changes in ion homeostasis in skeletal muscle tissue of patients with duchenne muscular dystrophy

BACKGROUND: Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a hereditary neuromuscular disease leading to progressive muscle wasting. Since there is a need for MRI variables that serve as early sensitive indicators of response to treatment, several quantitative MRI methods have been suggested for disease monitoring. PURPOSE: H) MRI methods to assess early pathological changes in skeletal muscle of DMD. STUDY TYPE: Prospective clinical study. POPULATION: H MRI of the right leg were performed in 13 patients with DMD (age 7.8 ± 2.4) and 14 healthy boys (age 9.5 ± 2.2). FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: Na ultrashort echo time sequences. ASSESSMENT: Na inversion-recovery imaging. STATISTICAL TESTS: Results from DMD patients and controls were compared using Wilcoxon rank-sum tests and repeated analysis of variance (ANOVA). Spearman-rank correlations and area under the curve (AUC) were calculated to assess the performance of the different MRI methods to distinguish dystrophic from healthy muscle tissue. RESULTS: H methods. DATA CONCLUSION: increases. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 1 Technical Efficacy: Stage 2 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2019;50:1103-1113.