Imaging: seeing muscle in new ways.

[inclusion body myositis]

The idiopathic inflammatory myopathies are diseases that can be difficult to diagnose and evaluate , but diagnosis has been improved by modern imaging techniques . Advances in imaging continue to be made . Therefore , it is necessary to evaluate the implications of these advances for the diagnosis , understanding , and management of muscle diseases .There have been advances in imaging across multiple modalities . Several new radiotracers show an improved ability to focus on inflammation better than older agents . Magnetic resonance spectroscopy has shown the ability to diagnose several idiopathic inflammatory myopathy mimics . MRI reveals previously unknown areas of disease when used for full-body imaging . Ultrasound has the ability to differentiate inclusion body myositis from other myopathies .Currently , MRI and ultrasound offer the most information about these diseases in a given patient , and new advances in these fields have served to only make them more useful . New advances in nuclear imaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopy are showing that they have utility as well , and advances in these techniques may allow them to come to the forefront in evaluating difficult idiopathic inflammatory myopathy patients .