Myopathy

Preliminary Diagnosis: Myopathy

I. What imaging technique is first-line for this diagnosis?

• MRI with and without contrast

II. Describe the advantages and disadvantages of this technique for diagnosis of myopathy.

Advantages

• Highly sensitive and specific in detecting, diagnosing, and characterizing myopathy and any muscular pathology.

• Offers exquisite detail of the muscles, ligaments, tendons, and surrounding soft tissues

• Gold standard imaging modality in diagnosing myopathy.

• May further detail any secondary abnormalities or complications such as an abscess

• Offers exquisite visualization and detail of the surrounding soft tissues and fascial structures

• Does not expose patients to ionizing radiation

Disadvantages

• Less sensitive and specific in characterizing osseous abnormalities

• Expensive

• Time consuming

• Susceptible to motion artifact

III. What are the contraindications for the first-line imaging technique?

• Contraindicated in patients with non–MR-compatible hardware

IV. What alternative imaging techniques are available?

• No specific alternative imaging techniques are available