Eric Chuan Qin1, 2, Lauriane Juge3, Simon Lambert3, Ralph Sinkus3, Lynne Bilston1, 2
1Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick, NSW, Australia; 2Prince of Wales clinical school of medicine, UNSW, Randwick, NSW, Australia; 3INSERM U773/Hpital Beaujon, Centre de Recherche Biomdicale Bichat Beaujon (CRB3), Clichy, France
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is a high incidence hereditary muscular disease that weakens the muscles which can result in premature death. Currently the gold standard in detecting abnormal changes in muscle tissues is muscle biopsy, which is invasive and painful. In this study we used a novel imaging technique which combines diffusion tensor imaging with magnetic resonance elastography to investigate the anisotropic shear moduli of the skeletal muscles of Mdx mice and wild type mice in vivo. This technique can provide additional parameters in detecting abnormal changes in muscular diseases, and allow early diagnosis and monitoring of such diseases.