Osteoporosis: clinical assessment with quantitative MR imaging in diagnosis.
OBJECTIVE
To determine if the magnetic resonance (MR) imaging effective transverse relaxation rate (R2*) of trabecular bone marrow is lowered in osteoporosis.


METHODS
R2* was measured in 146 women. Control subjects (n = 77; mean age, 46.6 years) had high mean spinal bone mineral densities (BMDs) and no vertebral deformities. Patients with spinal osteoporosis (n = 59; mean age, 59.7 years) had at least one thoracic vertebral deformity and/or low BMDs.


RESULTS
R2* was lower in patients for L-2 through L-5 (P < .001). Average R2* of L-3 through L-5 (R2*av) was the best discriminator (64.79 sec-1 +/- 1.18 [standard error] for control subjects vs 53.39 sec-1 +/- 1.24 for patients; P < .0001). R2*av decreased with age in control subjects. The difference in R2*av in a subset of 38 age-matched pairs of patients and control subjects was 8.25 sec-1 (P < .0001). Subjects with deformities had lower 52*av than did control subjects (52.3 sec-1 +/- 1.6 vs 62.5 sec-1 +/- 1.1, P < .0001). R2*av was correlated with mean BMD (r = .54, P < .0001).


CONCLUSIONS
Patients with osteoporosis have lower R2*s in vertebral marrow.
Wehrli
F W
FW
Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia 19104, USA.
Ford
J C
JC
Haddad
J G
JG
D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D000465:Algorithms; D015519:Bone Density; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000473:pathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000473:pathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D015663:Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D017698:Postmenopause; D017697:Premenopause; D013122:Spinal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae / Q000473:pathology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed