Estimating degree of mechanical anisotropy in healthy and dystrophic rectus femoris of boys using VisR ultrasound, in vivo

In Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), muscle fiber necrosis and subsequent progressive replacement of muscle by fibrous tissue and fat impacts the degree of anisotropy (DoA) in mechanical properties. Mechanical DoA can be assessed in skeletal muscle using Viscoelastic Response (VisR) ultrasound. We hypothesize that in vivo VisR DoA measures in the rectus femoris (RF) muscles of boys with DMD statistically differ from those in control boys. Further, we hypothesize that VisR DoA is correlated to RF functional output.