CT in neuromuscular disorders: a comparison of CT and histology

Neuroradiology. 1988;30(5):421-5. doi: 10.1007/BF00404107.

Abstract

The value of CT-examination of the muscles compared to histology was studied in a retrospective analysis of 30 patients with clinical suspicion of neuromuscular disorder. In the evaluation of the CT-results descriptive criteria were used. The histologic diagnosis came from needle-biopsies taken from the quadriceps muscle. Considering the whole group of neuromuscular disorders, CT has an overall accuracy of 84.8%, a positive predictive value of 95.5% and a negative predictive value of 63.6%. This makes the use of CT as a diagnostic tool in neuromuscular disorders a reliable examination technique. In patients with a polymyositis there is even a 100% correlation between CT findings and biopsy results. Discrepancy between the biopsy results of the quadriceps muscle and the CT findings is remarkable: the number of abnormal histological findings is twice the number of abnormal CT findings. Using the more proximal gluteal region as a biopsy site would have decreased this discrepancy and would therefore have given a better correlation between CT and histology. The choice of protocol in determining the levels to be scanned is of great importance in achieving good reproducability in follow-up CT examinations.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Biopsy, Needle
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Muscles / diagnostic imaging
  • Muscles / pathology
  • Myositis / diagnostic imaging
  • Myositis / pathology
  • Neuromuscular Diseases / diagnostic imaging*
  • Neuromuscular Diseases / pathology
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed*