Magnetic resonance imaging phenotyping of Becker muscular dystrophy.

Introduction: There is little information on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) phenotypes of Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD). This study presents the MRI phenotyping of the upper and lower extremities of a large cohort of BMD patients.

Methods: In this retrospective study, MRI images of 33 BMD subjects were evaluated for severity, distribution, and symmetry of involvement.

3-T high-resolution MR neurography of sciatic neuropathy.

Objective: The sciatic nerve may normally exhibit mild T2 hyperintensity in MR neurography (MRN) images, rendering assessment of sciatic neuropathy difficult. The purpose of this case-control study was to evaluate whether a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the sciatic nerves and regional skeletal muscles increases the accuracy of MRN in detecting sciatic neuropathy.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the MRN studies of the pelvis and thighs of 34 subjects (12 men and 22 women; mean [± SD] age, 50 ± 15 years), of which 17 had a final diagnosis of sciatic neuropathy according to electrodiagnostic or surgical confirmation, and 17 had no evidence of sciatic neuropathy and served as control subjects.

3T magnetic resonance neurography of tibial nerve pathologies.

Diagnosis of tibial neuropathy has been traditionally based on clinical examination and electrodiagnostic studies; however, cross-sectional imaging modalities have been used to increase the diagnostic accuracy and provide anatomic mapping of the abnormalities. In this context, magnetic resonance neurography (MRN) offers high-resolution imaging of the tibial nerve (TN), its branches and the adjacent soft tissues, and provides an objective assessment of the neuromuscular anatomy, abnormality, and the surrounding pathology. This review describes the pathologies affecting the TN and illustrates their respective 3 Tesla (T) MRN appearances with relevant case examples.

High-resolution 3-T MR neurography of femoral neuropathy.

Objective: The femoral nerve is subject to a variety of diseases that may affect the nerve anywhere from the nerve roots to the distal branches. High-resolution 3-T MR neurography (MRN) is being increasingly used for peripheral nerve evaluation because it complements information gained from electrodiagnostic testing.

Conclusion: There are scattered case reports describing femoral nerve diseases using MRI.

High-resolution 3T MR neurography of radial neuropathy.

The radial nerve is a continuation of the posterior cord of the brachial plexus and one of the major nerves that provide motor and sensory innervations to the forearm. MR imaging evaluation of the radial nerve pathology has been described in scattered case reports. Current high-field MR scanners enable high resolution and high contrast imaging of the peripheral nerves.

MR evaluation of synovial injury in shoulder trauma.

The purpose of this study was to determine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings relevant to synovial injury of the shoulder in patients with and without acute shoulder trauma. Three hundred and nine consecutive shoulder MRI studies (185-male, 124-female, 50 ± 15 years old) were retrospectively evaluated for findings suggestive of synovial injury including rupture and/or diverticulum of the joint capsule, bursa, and biceps tendon sheath (BTS), ganglion/synovial cyst, geyser phenomenon, and sequel of previous shoulder dislocation (Hill-Sachs deformity). Patients with one or more of these findings were included in the MR-positive group, whereas the remaining subjects were used as MR negatives.

High-resolution 3T MR neurography of suprascapular neuropathy.

Rationale And Objectives: The purpose of this study was to illustrate the imaging findings on high-resolution 3T magnetic resonance neurography (MRN) in patients with suprascapular nerve (SSN) neuropathy.

Materials And Methods: From 3T MRN examinations performed for brachial plexus evaluation in 51 patients over a 3-year period, 15 patients with final diagnosis of suprascapular neuropathy were recruited. The diagnosis was confirmed by electrodiagnostic studies (EDS), clinical, and/or surgical follow-up examinations.

3-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging evaluation of posterior tibial tendon dysfunction with relevance to clinical staging.

The posterior tibial tendon (PTT) is the most important dynamic stabilizer of the medial ankle and longitudinal arch of the foot. PTT dysfunction is a degenerative disorder of the tendon, which secondarily involves multiple ligaments, joint capsules, fascia, articulations, and bony structures of the ankle, hindfoot, midfoot, and forefoot. When the tendon progressively attenuates, the patient develops a painful, progressive collapsed flatfoot or pes planovalgus deformity.

High-resolution 3-T MR neurography of peroneal neuropathy.

The common peroneal nerve (CPN), a major terminal branch of the sciatic nerve, can be subject to a variety of pathologies, which may affect the nerve at any level from the lumbar plexus to its distal branches. Although the diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy is traditionally based on a patient's clinical findings and electrodiagnostic tests, magnetic resonance neurography (MRN) is gaining an increasing role in the definition of the type, site, and extent of peripheral nerve disorders. Current high-field MR scanners enable high-resolution and excellent soft-tissue contrast imaging of peripheral nerves.