A New Way to See Muscle Wasting in Spinal Muscular Atrophy

In a new proof-of-concept trial, investigators at the University Hospital Erlangen in Germany aimed to determine whether a new imaging technology called multispectral optoacoustic tomography (MSOT) has the potential to visualize and quantify muscle wasting in children with SMA. MSOT is an emerging technology; it is a handheld, radiation-free imaging technique that can penetrate several centimeters of muscle. It uses a laser pulse that penetrates the muscle, which absorbs the light and expands. This expansion allows for ultrasound waves to be detected and form an image.

In this study, investigators recruited 10 pediatric patients with SMA and 10 gender and age-matched healthy volunteers. They performed regular ultrasound and MSOT imaging on muscles sites, including: upper arm (biceps muscle), lower arm (forearm flexors), upper leg (quadriceps muscle) and lower leg (triceps surae muscle) on both sides.

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