Abstract #2282

Increased heterogeneity in T2-relaxation times in the dystrophic soleus muscle

Constantinos Anastasopoulos^1,2, Melissa Hooijmans¹, Jedrek Burakiewicz¹, Andrew G. Webb¹, Janbernd Kirschner², Jan J.G.M. Verschuuren³, Erik H. Niks³, and Hermien E. Kan¹

¹Gorter Center, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands, ²Pediatric Neurology and Muscle Disorders, University Clinic Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany, ³Department of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands

The interpretation of muscle T2 relaxation times in muscular dystrophies is complicated by the disease progression, as both inflammation and increased fat content result in a longer T2. We measured water-T2 in two muscles of the lower leg using a tri-exponential fitting of the T2 decay in patients with DMD and healthy controls. We found a significantly higher T2-heterogeneity in the soleus muscle of patients, with no significant difference between the two groups in average T2 values. T2-heterogeneity should be taken into consideration when using the water T2 of the diseased muscle as an outcome measure for therapeutic interventions.

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