ArticleMuscle & nerve2026
Imaging of Facial Muscles in Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy: An Exploratory Study Comparing Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Ultrasound.
Article in Muscle & nerve, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
15 authors.
Funding
Abstract
aimsFacioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is a genetic progressive muscle disorder often presenting with facial weakness. However, imaging studies specifically evaluating facial muscle involvement and its relationship with clinical severity remain limited. This preliminary study explored magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound (US) assessment of facial muscle involvement and correlations with clinical severity.
methodsThis single-center prospective study enrolled 12 genetically confirmed FSHD1 patients (mean age 57.8 years). Clinical evaluation included the FSHD score, Comprehensive Clinical Evaluation Form (CCEF), and Facial Weakness Score (FWS). Muscle thickness of the orbicularis oris (OOr) and zygomaticus major (ZMj) was measured on both MRI and US, while MRI was additionally used for qualitative assessment of muscle bulk. Inter-rater reliability was assessed for imaging measurements.
resultsMRI and US showed comparable facial muscle thickness, with mean ZMj thickness of 2.34 ± 0.75 mm and 2.12 ± 0.55 mm, and OOr thickness of 2.28 ± 0.70 mm and 2.20 ± 0.67 mm, respectively. Inter-rater reliability for MRI was high (ICC = 0.84), and reduced ZMj thickness showed moderate to strong correlation with greater disease severity (ρ up to 0.87, p < 0.001) and impaired facial gestures (ρ = 0.50-0.77, p < 0.05). DISCUSSION: Despite the small sample size, MRI, and US assessment of facial muscles correlated with clinical severity and functional outcomes in FSHD, supporting their use as complementary tools. Longitudinal studies are required to establish imaging's role in monitoring changes over time.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.