Value of MRI in the treatment of Graves' disease myopathy

In order to evaluate the predictibility of the results in the treatment of myopathy in cases with the clinical signs of muscle involvement, 177 extrao cular muscles of 27 cases whose oedematous status was detected by MRI and w ho were given antiinflammatory treatment according to the data of this meth od, were studied. The nature of involvement was detected in respect with the signal intensity and thickness of each rectus. muscle prior to the treatment and at the end of the sixth month following a three months'application of combined treatm ent of steroids and irradiation of 2000 rads. When the initial and final re sults were compared, the signal intensities of four involved recti showed s ignificant decrease at the end of the treatment, as they were evaluated sep arately or together. Besides the thicknesses of these,groups of involved re cti which were evaluated separately showed significant decrease. The evaluation of the signal intensities by MRI is a way that enables nonin vasive detection of the edema and prediction of the anti-inflammatory treat ment's results of dysthyroid myopathy. fa Therefore a systematic follow up by MRI is recommended for the treatment choice in dysthyroid myopathy.