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Abstract #4992

Stimulated Echo DTI in skeletal muscle of patients with Becker Muscular Dystrophy

Celine Baligand1, Jedrzej Burakiewicz1, Melissa T. Hooijmans1, Olivier Scheidegger2, Matt G. Hall3, Paola Porcari4, Erik H. Niks5, Pierre G. Carlier2, Christopher Clark3, Andrew Blamire4, Jan J.G.M. Verschuuren5, and Hermien E. Kan1

1Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, C.J. Gorter Center for High-field MRI, Leiden, Netherlands, 2NMR laboratory, Institute of Myology, Paris, France, 3Institute of Child Health, University College of London, London, United Kingdom, 4Institute of Cellular Medicine and Newcastle Magnetic Resonance Centre, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom, 5Department of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands

Cellular sizes in skeletal muscle are significantly larger than in the brain. Therefore standard spin-echo (SE)-DTI with inherently short diffusion times may lack sensitivity for the study skeletal muscle of neuromuscular disorders (NMDs). Alternatively, stimulated-echo (STE-)DTI allows for much longer diffusion times, increasing sensitivity to cell size. Due to the challenges presented by fat replacement STE-DTI has not been previously applied in NMDs. Here, we show that STE-DTI is feasible in Becker Muscular Dystrophy patients, and can detect FA differences compared to healthy controls in mildly affected muscles.

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