Ramin Javan MD, Presenter: Nothing to Disclose

Jeffrey Horvath MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Laura Case, Abstract Co-Author: Speaker, sanofi-aventis Group Research support, sanofi-aventis Group Research support, Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc Advisory Board, sanofi-aventis Group

Stephanie Austin, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Jose Corderi MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Alberto Dubrovsky, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Priya Kishnani MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Mustafa Rifaat Bashir MD, Abstract Co-Author: Research Grant, Bracco Group Research Grant, Siemens AG

We hope that this tool will provide a useful adjuvant in streamlining the workflow of tracking disease progression in musculature of patients with glycogen storage diseases and neuromuscular disorders.

Fatty infiltration of muscles may be seen in glycogen storage diseases as well as neuromuscular diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and muscular dystrophy. MRI-based fat quantification techniques, which have been extensively explored in liver imaging, may be applied to individual muscle groups to obtain “proton density fat fraction” measurements. The number of muscles that can be involved and the variability in the degree and distribution of muscle involvement between patients makes the representation of these results complex. The understanding of an individual patient’s disease and its evolution may be simplified by utilizing visual tools that allow for graphical representation of these changes.

Other map schemes may also be created, such as gradients of two colors, maps of severity differences between MRI findings and clinical exam, or maps of differences between subsequent follow-up evaluations for tracking purposes. This method can be used for designing any tool that benefits from enhanced graphical visualization of data corresponding to any complicated segmental or compartmental anatomy.

A color-coded visual mapping tool was developed to for simultaneous display of MRI findings and clinical assessment of muscle groups, simplifying data interpretation and visualization of change over time. This tool was created utilizing a free third-party graphical data visualization plug-in for Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint. The final color-coded maps can be shared and displayed as images. The major steps in the methodology are as follows: 1. Initial creation of shapes corresponding to the muscle groups, either manually by drawing freeform over images or automatically by conversion of image files (JPG or BMP) into vector maps (WMF or EMF); 2. Creating color tables with conditional formatting applied to the data cells based on their values; 3. Linking each shape to its respective data cell.

Javan, R, Horvath, J, Case, L, Austin, S, Corderi, J, Dubrovsky, A, Kishnani, P, Bashir, M, Generating Color-Coded Anatomic Muscle Maps for Correlation of Quantitative MRI Analysis with Clinical Examination in Neuromuscular and Glycogen Storage Diseases.  Radiological Society of North America 2012 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, November 25 - November 30, 2012 ,Chicago IL. http://archive.rsna.org/2012/12022115.html