Computed tomography (CT) is used extensively for the examination of almost any organ of the body, but relatively few reports have dealt with CT of the skeletal muscular system. In this paper we want to demonstrate the potential of CT for the evaluation of skeletal muscular system and muscle atrophy. We propose the following objectives: Explain the differences between normal muscles and those with atrophy. To suggest a didactic approach in the evaluation of the skeletal muscular system to determine the cause of atrophy. To...

Muscle atrophy, is defined as a decrease in the mass of themuscle, it can be a partial or complete wasting away of muscle, and is most commonly experienced when persons suffer temporary disabling circumstances such as being restricted in movement and/or confined to bed as when hospitalized. When a muscle atrophies, this leads tomuscle weakness, since the ability to exert force is related to mass. Sarcopenia, initially introduced by Rosenberg, has been proposed to be an age-related muscle atrophy (pre-sarcopenia) that appears in combination with...

The CT examinations were performed with a Siemens SOMATOM Sensation 64 CT scanner andGE LightSpeed 64 slice CT Scanner. The tomographic protocols are those used in theInstituo Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán. A specific tomographic protocol is not necessary for the qualitative assessment of muscular atrophy. NORMAL AND ABNORMAL MUSCLE MASS There are different methods to calculate muscle mass, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), anthropometric measurements, density measurements, mean cross sections (cm2), among others.However, most of these require specialized...

Computed tomography is an excellent tool for the assessment of skeletal muscular system and muscle atrophy, since it provides accurate morphological information, qualitative and quantitativeassessment of muscular mass, as well as being a widely used and accessible method for the general population. The understanding of muscular atrophy in its basic forms, disuse and neurogenic, allows to develop an integral evaluation of each patient, and in certain cases, will support in guiding the treatment and rehabilitation and, therefore, will improve the quality of life.

Juan Alberto Garay Mora Radiology Resident at Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Mexico City. [email protected]

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