title: Assessment of perfusion in normal carpal bones with dynamic gadolinium-enhanced MRI at 3 Tesla.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the normal enhancement patterns of the scaphoid, lunate, and capitate bones with dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was approved by the hospital's Ethics Committee. Nineteen volunteers (13 female, 6 male; mean age 38 years) were examined and all gave written consent. Perfusion was assessed at 3 Tesla using dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI. After two-dimensional (2D) motion correction of the data set, regions of interest were placed in the capitate, lunate, and distal and proximal pole of scaphoid bone and from the mean signal intensities (SI), the enhancement was computed. The four locations were compared for time to peak, delay time, maximum enhancement, and maximum slope using Friedman's two-way analysis of variance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Typical SI versus time curves revealed two components: a faster component with strong contrast enhancement and a slow component with prolonged enhancement. The mean value (standard deviation, SD) for maximum enhancement was 51 (33)% in the capitate, 54 (25)% in the lunate, 51 (34)% in the proximal pole and 51 (28)% in the distal pole of the scaphoid. The result of the Friedman test showed no significant difference (P < 0.05) in the perfusion variables between the capitate, lunate, and distal and proximal scaphoid bones.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Assessment of perfusion in normal carpal bone using contrast-enhanced MRI is possible. Optimization of the method and understanding of the normal perfusion may allow evaluation of pathological conditions such as osteonecrosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden. gunilla.muller@med.lu.se
authors.forename: Gunilla M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Månsson
authors.forename: Markus F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: Olle
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ekberg
authors.forename: Anders
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Björkman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology; D002348:Carpal Bones / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000502:physiology*; D003287:Contrast Media; D005260:Female; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006801:Humans; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008536:Meglumine; D008875:Middle Aged; D009942:Organometallic Compounds; D012016:Reference Values; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000502:physiology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D009942:Organometallic Compounds; D008536:Meglumine; C072417:gadoterate meglumine