Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
Citation:
Sriselvakumar S, Knipe H, Denervation pseudohypertrophy of calf muscles. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 24 Apr 2024) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-157061
Disclosures:
At the time the article was last revised Henry Knipe had the following disclosures:
- Radiopaedia Events Pty Ltd, Speaker fees (past)
- Integral Diagnostics, Shareholder (ongoing)
- Micro-X Ltd, Shareholder (ongoing)
These were assessed during peer review and were determined to
not be relevant to the changes that were made.
View Henry Knipe's current disclosures
Denervation pseudohypertrophy of calf muscles is a rare cause of unilateral limb swelling. It is important to exclude and consider other causes for this presentation.
This condition usually presents as painless unilateral calf swelling.
More commonly, denervation results in muscle atrophy but rarely it can lead to hypertrophy due to fatty infiltration/accumulation between muscle fibers 1,2.
Denervation can occur due to various causes such as trauma (e.g. peripheral nerve injury), infection (e.g. poliomyelitis), neoplasia, diabetes (i.e. diabetic peripheral neuropathy), radiculopathy, autoimmune or vasculitic causes 1-3.
MRI
In acute cases, the increased signal will be noted on fluid-sensitive sequences. In chronic cases, usually after 4 weeks, increased T1 signal is noted with fatty infiltration within the musculature. This infiltration often presents as linear and featherlike intensity 1.
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1. Wong K, Chow M, Lui T, Cheong Y, Tam K. Denervation Pseudohypertrophy of Calf Muscles Associated with Diabetic Neuropathy. Radiol Case Rep. 2017;12(4):815-20. doi:10.1016/j.radcr.2017.06.011 - Pubmed
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2. Hynes J, Glynn D, Eustace S. Denervation Pseudo Hypertrophy of the Calf: An Important Cause of Lower Limb Swelling. Radiology Case Reports. 2022;17(5):1702-4. doi:10.1016/j.radcr.2022.02.066 - Pubmed
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3. Kim S & Jang Y. Unilateral Pseudohypertrophy of Calf Muscles as a Clinical Manifestation of Lumbosacral Radiculopathy. J Electrodiagn Neuromuscul Dis. 2020;22(1):68-73. doi:10.18214/jend.2020.22.1.68
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