On the correlation between T2 and tissue diffusion coefficients in exercised muscle: quantitative measurements at 3T within the tibialis anterior

Abstract

The increase in T(2) of skeletal muscle after exercise is correlated with the increase of the diffusion coefficient D and the recovery times appear similar, indicating that any model used to explain T(2) increases with exercise must also account for increased diffusion coefficients.

Relationship betweenT2relaxation and apparent diffusion coefficient in malignant and non-malignant prostate regions and the effect of peripheral zone fractional volume

“…The association between T 2 relaxation and diffusivity has mainly been studied in the normal brain [10,11], in experimental rat brain tumour [12] and in skeletal muscle, following exercise, where increases in T 2 were mirrored by increases in the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) derived from DW MRI [13]. However, if DW MRI contrast merely reflected T 2 W contrast, the improvement in detecting tumours by the addition of DW MRI data to T 2 W data, particularly in the TZ of the prostate, would be marginal.…”

Effects of Strenuous Exercise with Eccentric Muscle Contraction: Physiological and Functional Aspects of Human Skeletal Muscle

“…In fact, several studies using T 2 W imaging have revealed delayed muscle edema that was signiˆcantly correlated with increased serum creatine kinase value after eccentric exercise. 6,9,10 Considering the signiˆcant correlation between the T 2 values and water diŠusion coe‹cients of exercised muscles, 11,22 increased water level within muscle would strongly contribute to the delayed ADC elevation in the MG; edema creates larger extracellular space with fewer membrane barriers, which allows greater unrestricted water motion. The disruptedˆber structure in itself should also lead to increased water diŠusion because water diŠusion is mostly restricted parallel to muscleˆber orientation.…”

“…11,12 A DW image and its coe‹cient, the apparent diŠu-sion coe‹cient (ADC), re‰ect both the diŠusion of intra-and extracellular water (Brownian motion) and the microcirculation of blood in the capillary network (perfusion) in each imaging voxel. 13,14 Therefore, ADC estimation diŠers from conventional static T 2 -based estimation of intramuscular water level and should provide more detailed pathophysiological information of the skeletal muscles damaged by eccentric exercise.…”

Noninvasive Evaluation of Trunk Muscle Recruitment after Trunk Exercises using Diffusion-weighted MR Imaging

“…Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging allows the simultaneous noninvasive investigation of the activity of superficial and deep muscles in a specific exercise as well as evaluation of the activity of an isolated muscle over an entire area of muscle at arbitrary slice planes without the influence of surrounding tissues. In particular, the T 2 value has been used to evaluate the muscle recruitment pattern in various exercises of the upper 15 or lower [16][17][18][19] extremities. Tawara and associates 20 used the T 2 value to assess the activity of the psoas major muscle before and after hip flexion exercise, but we believe few studies have used the value to evaluate the recruitment pattern of abdominal muscles in a specific trunk exercise.…”

“…Similarly to the T 2 value, an apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value obtained from DW image has been used for evaluating muscle activity in a specific exercise of the upper 15 or lower 16,17,19,23 extremities. Therefore, DW imaging is expected to enable the assessment of abdominal muscle activity in trunk exercises.…”