The complementary use of muscle ultrasound and MRI in FSHD: Early versus later disease stage follow-up.

OBJECTIVES: Muscle MRI and ultrasound provide complementary techniques for characterizing muscle changes and tracking disease progression in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD). In this cohort study, we provide longitudinal data that compares both imaging modalities head-to-head. METHODS: FSHD patients were assessed at baseline and after five years. Standardized muscle MRI and ultrasound images of five leg muscles were assessed bilaterally. Fat replacement was quantified using MRI fat-fraction (FF) and ultrasound Heckmatt and echogenicity z-scores (EZ-score). Muscle edema was evaluated using T2-weighted turbo inversion recovery magnitude (TIRM) MRI. RESULTS: Twenty FSHD patients were included. Muscles with normal baseline imaging showed increases in ultrasound EZ-scores (≥1; in 17%) more often than MRI FF increases (≥10%; in 7%) over time. Muscles with only baseline ultrasound abnormalities often showed considerable FF increases (in 22%), and TIRM positivity at follow-up (44%). Muscles with increased FF at baseline showed stable (80%) or increasing FF (20%) over time. EZ-scores of those muscles either increased (23%), decreased (33%) or remained stable (44%). CONCLUSIONS: Muscle ultrasound may capture accelerated pathological muscle changes in FSHD in early disease, while muscle MRI appears better-suited to detecting and monitoring pathology in later stages. SIGNIFICANCE: Our results help establish each techniques' optimal use as imaging biomarker.

Five-year follow-up study on quantitative muscle magnetic resonance imaging in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy: The link to clinical outcome.

BACKGROUND: It is unclear how changes in quantitative muscle magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) relate to changes in clinical outcome in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD), although this information is crucial for optimal use of MRI as imaging biomarker in trials. We therefore assessed muscle MRI and clinical outcome measures in a large longitudinal prospective cohort study. METHODS: All patients were assessed by MRI at baseline and at 5-year follow-up, employing 2pt-Dixon and turbo inversion recovery magnitude (TIRM) sequences, after which fat fraction and TIRM positivity of 19 leg muscles were determined bilaterally. The MRI compound score (CoS) was defined as the mean fat fraction of all muscles weighted for cross-sectional area. Clinical outcome measures included the Ricci-score, FSHD clinical score (FSHD-CS), MRC sumscore (MRC-SS), and motor-function-measure (MFM). RESULTS: We included 105 FSHD patients [mean age 54 ± 14 years, median Ricci-score 7 (range 0-10)]. The median change over 5 years' time in the MRI-CoS was 2.0% (range -4.6 to +12.1; P < 0.001). The median change over 5 years' time in clinical outcome measures was small in all measures, with z-scores ranging from 5.0 to 7.2 (P < 0.001). The change in MRI-CoS correlated with change in FSHD-CS and Ricci-score (ρ = 0.25, respectively; ρ = 0.23, P < 0.05). The largest median increase in MRI-CoS was seen in baseline subgroups with an MRI-CoS 20-40% (6.1%), with ≥2 TIRM positive muscles (3.5%) or with an FSHD-CS 5-10 (3.1%). CONCLUSIONS: This 5-year study showed significant changes in MRI and clinical outcome measures and a significant correlation between changes in MRI-CoS and changes in clinical outcome measures. In addition, we identified subgroups of patients that are most prone to radiological disease progression. This knowledge further establishes quantitative MRI parameters as prognostic biomarkers in FSHD and as efficacy biomarkers in upcoming clinical trials.

Development and validation of the patient-reported "Facial Function Scale" for facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy.

PURPOSE: Facial weakness and its functional consequences are an often underappreciated clinical feature of facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) by healthcare professionals and researchers. This is at least in part due to the fact that there are few adequate clinical outcome measures available. METHODS: We developed the Facial Function Scale, a Rasch-built questionnaire on the functional disabilities relating to facial weakness in FSHD. A preliminary 33-item questionnaire was created based on semi-structured interviews with 16 FSHD patients and completed by 119 patients. For reliability studies, 73 patients completed it again after a two-week interval. Data were subjected to semi-automated Rasch analysis to select the most appropriate item set to fit model expectations. RESULTS: This resulted in a 25-item unidimensional, linear-weighted questionnaire with high internal consistency (person separation index = 0.92) and test-retest reliability (patients' locations ICC = 0.98 and items' locations ICC = 0.99). Good external construct validity scores were obtained through correlation with the Communicative Participation Item Bank questionnaire, examiner-reported Facial Weakness Score and facial weakness subscale of the FSHD evaluation score (respectively r = 0.733, r = -0.566, and r = 0.441, all p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides a linear-weighted, clinimetrically sound, patient-reported outcome measure on the functional disabilities relating to facial weakness in FSHD, to enable further research on this relevant topic.Implications for rehabilitationFacial weakness and its functional consequences are an often underappreciated clinical feature of facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD), both in symptomatic treatment and in research.To enable the development and testing of therapeutic symptomatic interventions for facial weakness, clinical outcome measures are required.This study provides a linear-weighted, clinimetrically sound, patient-reported outcome measure on the functional disabilities relating to facial weakness in FSHD patients.

Long-term follow-up of respiratory function in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the 5-year change in respiratory function in patients with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD). METHODS: Genetically confirmed patients with FSHD aged ≥ 18 years were examined twice over five years. Forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) were measured using hand-held spirometry with a face mask. Several clinical outcome measures were correlated to respiratory function. RESULTS: Ninety-two patients were included (57% male, age 18-75 years). At baseline, the spirometry outcomes of 41 patients showed a restrictive ventilatory pattern (FVC < 80% and FEV1/FVC ≥ 70% of predicted) and of 48 patients at follow-up. The mean FVC decreased from baseline to follow-up from 79.0 to 76.7% predicted (p = 0.021). This decrease was driven by a subgroup of 15 patients who had a deterioration of FVC of > 10% predicted. The subgroup of 15 patients was more severely affected at baseline (p = 0.002 for FSHD clinical score and 0.007 for Ricci score). They developed more frequently spinal and thorax deformities (p < 0.001 for kyphoscoliosis and 0.012 for pectus excavatum) and had a larger decline in axial muscle function (p = 0.020). Only weak correlations were found between the change in FVC% predicted and the change in clinical scores between baseline and follow-up. INTERPRETATION: Respiratory function remained stable in most patients with FSHD, but a subgroup of patients showed a pronounced deterioration. They showed more severe muscle weakness including the leg muscles at baseline (Ricci score ≥ 6), had spinal and thorax deformities and a relatively fast decline in axial muscle function at follow-up.

Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy-Reproductive counseling, pregnancy, and delivery in a complex multigenetic disease.

Reproductive counseling in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) can be challenging due to the complexity of its underlying genetic mechanisms and due to incomplete penetrance of the disease. Full understanding of the genetic causes and potential inheritance patterns of both distinct FSHD types is essential: FSHD1 is an autosomal dominantly inherited repeat disorder, whereas FSHD2 is a digenic disorder. This has become even more relevant now that prenatal diagnosis and preimplantation genetic diagnosis options are available for FSHD1. Pregnancy and delivery outcomes in FSHD are usually favorable, but clinicians should be aware of the risks. We aim to provide clinicians with case-based strategies for reproductive counseling in FSHD, as well as recommendations for pregnancy and delivery.

Exploring the influence of smoking and alcohol consumption on clinical severity in patients with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy.

Despite the growing knowledge on the (epi)genetic background of facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD), the substantial variability in disease severity that exists between FSHD patients is not fully understood. We hypothesized that smoking and alcohol consumption are disease modifiers in FSHD and contribute to the variability in disease severity, because they are both associated with higher levels of oxidative stress in muscle tissue. Oxidative stress is known to influence FSHD muscle tissue. One hundred and ninety-eight genetically confirmed FSHD patients completed a questionnaire from which the number of packyears of smoking and the lifetime cumulative alcohol units consumed were calculated. Disease severity was determined by the FSDH evaluation score. Multiple linear regression analyses showed that both the number of packyears and the amount of alcohol consumption did not influence disease severity (respectively B = 0.025, ΔR2=0.006, p = 0.231; and B = 0.000, ΔR2=0.004, p = 0.406). Although smoking and excessive alcohol consumption are unhealthy habits which should be discouraged, these results show that smoking and alcohol consumption have no clinically meaningful modifying effect on disease severity in FSHD patients. However, prospective data should show whether alcohol consumption and smoking influence disease progression rate.

Quantitative muscle MRI and ultrasound for facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy: complementary imaging biomarkers.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the overlap of and differences between quantitative muscle MRI and ultrasound in characterizing structural changes in leg muscles of facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) patients. METHODS: We performed quantitative MRI and quantitative ultrasound of ten leg muscles in 27 FSHD patients and assessed images, both quantitatively and visually, for fatty infiltration, fibrosis and edema. RESULTS: The MRI fat fraction and ultrasound echogenicity z-score correlated strongly (CC 0.865, p < 0.05) and both correlated with clinical severity (MRI CC 0.828, ultrasound CC 0.767, p < 0.001). Ultrasound detected changes in muscle architecture in muscles that looked normal on MRI. MRI was better in detecting late stages of fatty infiltration and was more suitable to assess muscle edema. Correlations between quantitative and semi-quantitative scores were strong for MRI (CC 0.844-0.982, p < 0.05), and varied for ultrasound (CC 0.427-0.809, p = 0.026-p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Quantitative muscle MRI and ultrasound are both promising imaging biomarkers for differentiating between degrees of structural muscle changes. As ultrasound is more sensitive to detect subtle structural changes and MRI is more accurate in end stage muscles and detecting edema, the techniques are complementary. Hence, the choice for a particular technique should be considered in light of the trial design.

Adding quantitative muscle MRI to the FSHD clinical trial toolbox.

OBJECTIVE: To add quantitative muscle MRI to the clinical trial toolbox for facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) by correlating it to clinical outcome measures in a large cohort of genetically and clinically well-characterized patients with FSHD comprising the entire clinical spectrum. METHODS: Quantitative MRI scans of leg muscles of 140 patients with FSHD1 and FSHD2 were assessed for fatty infiltration and TIRM hyperintensities and were correlated to multiple clinical outcome measures. RESULTS: The mean fat fraction of the total leg musculature correlated highly with the motor function measure, FSHD clinical score, Ricci score, and 6-minute walking test (correlation coefficients -0.845, 0.835, 0.791, -0.701, respectively). Fat fraction per muscle group correlated well with corresponding muscle strength (correlation coefficients up to -0.82). The hamstring muscles, adductor muscles, rectus femoris, and gastrocnemius medialis were affected most frequently, also in early stage disease and in patients without leg muscle weakness. Muscle involvement was asymmetric in 20% of all muscle pairs and fatty infiltration within muscles showed a decrease from distal to proximal of 3.9%. TIRM hyperintense areas, suggesting inflammation, were found in 3.5% of all muscles, with and without fatty infiltration. CONCLUSIONS: We show a strong correlation between quantitative muscle MRI and clinical outcome measures. Muscle MRI is able to detect muscle pathology before clinical involvement of the leg muscles. This indicates that quantitative leg muscle MRI is a promising biomarker that captures disease severity and motor functioning and can thus be included in the FSHD trial toolbox.