Contrasting echogenicity in flexor digitorum profundus–flexor carpi ulnaris: A diagnostic ultrasound pattern in sporadic inclusion body myositis

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Abstract
Introduction: In this study we aimed to clarify whether muscle ultrasound (US) of the forearm can be used to differentiate between patients with sporadic inclusion body myositis (s‐IBM) and those with s‐IBM–mimicking diseases. Methods: We compared the echo intensity (EI) of the flexor digitorum profundus (FDP) muscle and the flexor carpi ulnaris (FCU) muscles in patients with s‐IBM (n = 6), polymyositis/dermatomyositis (PM/DM; n = 6), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS; n = 6). Results: We identified EI abnormalities in 100% of patients with s‐IBM, 33% of those with PM/DM, and 33% of those with ALS. An “FDP–FCU echogenicity contrast,” a US pattern involving a higher EI in the FDP than in the FCU, was observed in all patients with s‐IBM, but in none of those with PM/DM or ALS. Conclusions: FDP–FCU echogenicity contrast in muscle US is a sensitive diagnostic indicator of s‐IBM. Muscle Nerve 49: 745–748, 2014

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