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Dynamic MR imaging of the skeletal muscle in young and senior volunteers during synchronized minimal neuromuscular electrical stimulation

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Abstract

Objective

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES)-induced isometric contraction is feasible during MRI and can be combined with acquisition of volumetric dynamic MR data, in a synchronous and controlled way. Since NMES is a potent resource for rehabilitation, MRI synchronized with NMES presents a valuable validation tool. Our aim was to show how minimal NMES-induced muscle contraction characterization, as evaluated through phase-contrast MRI, differs between senior and young volunteers.

Materials and methods

Simultaneous NMES of the quadriceps muscle and phase-contrast imaging were applied at 3 T to 11 senior (75 ± 3 years) and 12 young volunteers (29 ± 7 years). A current sufficient to induce muscle twitch without knee extension was applied to both groups.

Results

Strain vectors were extracted from the velocity fields and strain datasets were compared with non-parametric tests and descriptive statistics. Strain values were noticeably different between both groups at both current intensities and significant differences were observed for similar current level.

Discussion

In conclusion, NMES-synchronized MRI could be successfully applied in senior volunteers with strain results clearly different from the younger volunteers. Also, differences within the senior group were detected both in the magnitude of strain and in the position of maximum strain pixels.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Swiss Foundation for Research on Muscle Diseases (SSEM-FSRMM) and Swiss National Science Foundation (GRANT Nr. 172876).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Radiological Physics, Department of Radiology, University Hospital Basel, Petersgraben 4, 4031, Basel, Switzerland

    Xeni Deligianni, Oliver Bieri & Francesco Santini

  2. Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Basel, Gewerbestrasse 14, Allschwil, Switzerland

    Xeni Deligianni, Oliver Bieri & Francesco Santini

  3. Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, Division Sports and Exercise Medicine, University of Basel, Birsstrasse 320, Basel, Switzerland

    Christopher Klenk & Arno Schmidt-Trucksäss

  4. Institute of Sport Sciences, University of Lausanne, Bâtiment Synathlon, Quartier UNIL Centre, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Nicolas Place

  5. TMC–European Telemedicine Clinic–A Unilabs Company, Torre Mapfre, C/Marina 16-18, 08005, Barcelona, Spain

    Meritxell Garcia

  6. Ricerche Diagnostiche Srl, Largo Ignazio Ciaia, 13, Bari, Italy

    Michele Pansini

  7. Department of Radiology, University Hospital Basel, Petersgraben 4, Basel, Switzerland

    Anna Hirschmann

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  1. Xeni Deligianni
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  2. Christopher Klenk
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  3. Nicolas Place
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  4. Meritxell Garcia
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  5. Michele Pansini
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  6. Anna Hirschmann
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  7. Arno Schmidt-Trucksäss
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  8. Oliver Bieri
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  9. Francesco Santini
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Contributions

XD: study conception and design, acquisition of data, analysis and interpretation of data, drafting of manuscript, critical revision. CK: study conception and design, drafting of manuscript. NP: analysis and interpretation of data, drafting of manuscript, critical revision. MG: study conception and design, acquisition of data, drafting of manuscript. MP: study conception and design, drafting of manuscript. AH: study conception and design, drafting of manuscript, acquisition of data. AS-T: study conception and design, drafting of manuscript. OB: study conception and design, drafting of manuscript. FS: study conception and design, acquisition of data, analysis and interpretation of data, drafting of manuscript, critical revision.

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Correspondence to Xeni Deligianni.

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The study was approved by the local ethics committee and written informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Deligianni, X., Klenk, C., Place, N. et al. Dynamic MR imaging of the skeletal muscle in young and senior volunteers during synchronized minimal neuromuscular electrical stimulation. Magn Reson Mater Phy 33, 393–400 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10334-019-00787-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10334-019-00787-7

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