The value of MR T₂-mapping in muscular disorders

MRI is of important value to the diagnosis of muscular diseases due to its multiple planes, multiple sequences, high resolution, etc. T₂ mapping is a new emerging technology of MRI and is mainly used to evaluate articular cartilage and intervertebral disc at the molecular level, central nervous system damage and degenerative diseases, and benign and malignant tumors. In recent years, it has been gradually applied in muscle tissue imaging. T₂ mapping can quantificationally analyze the changes in composition of the organization by measuring T₂ relaxation time, and it plays important roles in early and accurate diagnosis, prediction of disease development and evaluation of therapeutic effect. The basic principle of T₂ mapping and the progress of its research application in muscle diseases were reviewed. (authors)