Quantitative assessment of muscle echogenicity in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1A by automatic thresholding methods

Abstract Objective To investigate the utility of automatic thresholding methods for quantitative muscle echogenicity assessment as a marker of disease severity in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1A (CMT1A). Methods Muscle ultrasound was performed in 15 CMT1A patients and 7 healthy controls. Muscle echogenicity of six limb muscles in each subject was assessed by 16 automatic thresholding methods and conventional grey-scale analysis. Echogenicity of each method in CMT1A patients was compared with that in controls. A correlation between the echogenicity and CMT neuropathy score (CMTNS) was also analysed in CMT1A patients. Results Significant differences in mean echogenicity of the 6 muscles between CMT1A patients and controls were found both in grey-scale analysis (p  Conclusion Automatic thresholding methods can be used to detect the difference in muscle echogenicity between CMT1A patients and controls. Echogenicity parameters correlate with the disease severity. Significance Quantitative muscle echogenicity assessment by automatic thresholding methods shows potential as a surrogate marker of disease progression in CMT1A.