title: MRI texture analysis of femoral neck: Detection of exercise load-associated differences in trabecular bone.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the ability of co-occurrence matrix-based texture parameters to detect exercise load-associated differences in MRI texture at the femoral neck cross-section.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 91 top-level female athletes representing five differently loading sports and 20 referents participated in this cross-sectional study. Axial T1-weighted FLASH and T2*-weighted MEDIC sequence images of the proximal femur were obtained with a 1.5T MRI. The femoral neck trabecular bone at the level of the insertion of articular capsule was divided manually into regions of interest representing four anatomical sectors (anterior, posterior, superior, and inferior). Selected co-occurrence matrix-based texture parameters were used to evaluate differences in apparent trabecular structure between the exercise loading groups and anatomical sectors of the femoral neck.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant differences in the trabecular bone texture, particularly at the superior femoral neck, were observed between athletes representing odd-impact (soccer and squash) and high-magnitude exercise loading (power-lifting) groups and the nonathletic reference group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MRI texture analysis provides a quantitative method for detecting and classifying apparent structural differences in trabecular bone that are associated with specific exercise loading.
authors.affiliation: Tampere University Medical School, Tampere, Finland; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tampere University of Technology, Tampere, Finland; Medical Imaging Centre, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland. lara.harrison@tut.fi
authors.forename: Lara C V
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.forename: Riku
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nikander
authors.forename: Minna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sikiö
authors.forename: Tiina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Luukkaala
authors.forename: Mika T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Helminen
authors.forename: Pertti
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ryymin
authors.forename: Seppo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Soimakallio
authors.forename: Hannu J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Eskola
authors.forename: Prasun
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dastidar
authors.forename: Harri
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sievänen
mesh_terms: D056352:Athletes; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D005272:Femur Neck / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009929:Organ Size