MRI and MRS of the skeletal muscle.

Magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy were performed in several types of muscular disorders. In acute stages, 31P spectra showed remarkable changes compared with normals, and T2-weighted MR images were most sensitive in delineating the pathology. Fatty degeneration of muscle in chronic diseases yielded high contrast in T1-weighted MRI and could be quantified by 1H-MRS including the chemically selective determination of proton T1 values. In order to evaluate true abundance rations of phosphorus metabolites, 31P relaxation times T1 of muscle were measured by localized inversion recovery.