Does the trabecular bone structure depicted by high-resolution MRI of the calcaneus reflect the true bone structure?
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to compare trabecular bone structure parameters assessed with high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (HR-MRI) with those determined in specimen sections.


METHODS
High-resolution MR images were obtained for 30 calcaneus specimens with a three-dimensional, T1-weighted spin-echo sequence (spatial in-plane resolution 0.195 mm, slice thicknesses of 0.3 and 0.9 mm). Thirty-eight sections were obtained from the specimens, and contact radiography was performed. In the corresponding sections, structural parameters analogous to bone histomorphometry were determined.


RESULTS
Significant correlations between MRI-derived structural parameters and those derived from macro pathological sections were found: r values of up to 0.75 were obtained (P < 0.01). The highest correlations were found for apparent bone volume/total volume and trabecular thickness. Image thresholding techniques showed a significant impact on these correlations (P < 0.01). The thinner MR sections were less susceptible to the different thresholding algorithms.


CONCLUSIONS
Trabecular bone structure depicted by HR-MR images is significantly correlated with that shown in macro sections (P < 0.01); however, a number of limitations have to be considered, including the substantial impact of thresholding techniques and slice thickness.
Department of Clinical Radiology, University of Muenster, Muenster Germany.
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Vieth
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Link
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Lotter
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Persigehl
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Newitt
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Heindel
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Majumdar
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002111:Calcaneus / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values