Normal spinal bone marrow in adults: dynamic gadolinium-enhanced MR imaging.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the patterns of dynamic enhancement of normal spinal bone marrow in adults at gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and the changes that occur with aging.


METHODS
Dynamic contrast material-enhanced MR imaging of the thoracolumbar spine was performed in 71 patients. The maximum percentage of enhancement (Emax), enhancement slope, and enhancement washout were determined from bone marrow enhancement time curves (ETCs). The bone marrow signal intensity on T1-weighted spin-echo MR images was qualitatively classified into three grade categories. Quantitative ETC values were correlated with patient age and bone marrow fat content grade. Statistical analysis included mean t test comparison, analysis of variance, and regression analysis of the correlations between age and quantitative MR parameters.


RESULTS
Emax, slope, and washout varied widely among the patients. Emax values were obtained within 1 minute after contrast material injection and ranged from 0% to 430%. Emax values were significantly higher in patients younger than 40 years than in those aged 40 years or older (P <.001). These values decreased with increasing age in a logarithmic relationship (r = 0.71). Emax values decreased as fat content increased, but some overlap among the fat content grades was noted. Analysis of variance revealed that Emax was significantly related to age (younger than 40 years vs 40 years or older) (P <.001) and fat content grade (P <.001) but not significantly related to sex.


CONCLUSIONS
Dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging patterns of normal spinal bone marrow are dependent mainly on patient age and fat content.
Department of Radiology, Centre Hospitalo-Universitaire Henri Mondor, 51 avenue du Maréchal de Lattre de Tassigny, 94010 Créteil, France.
Jean-Luc
JL
Montazel
Marine
M
Divine
Eric
E
Lepage
Hicham
H
Kobeiter
Stephane
S
Breil
Alain
A
Rahmouni
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D005682:Gadolinium; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement; D008055:Lipids / Q000032:analysis; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013131:Spine
D008055:Lipids; D005682:Gadolinium