title: Comparison among T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging, modified dixon method, and magnetic resonance spectroscopy in measuring bone marrow fat.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  An increasing number of studies are utilizing different magnetic resonance (MR) methods to quantify bone marrow fat due to its potential role in osteoporosis. Our aim is to compare the measurements of bone marrow fat among T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), modified Dixon method (also called fat fraction MRI (FFMRI)), and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS).
  
  
  METHODS
  Contiguous MRI scans were acquired in 27 Caucasian postmenopausal women with a modified Dixon method (i.e., FFMRI). Bone marrow adipose tissue (BMAT) of T1-weighted MRI and bone marrow fat fraction of the L3 vertebra and femoral necks were quantified using SliceOmatic and Matlab. MRS was also acquired at the L3 vertebra.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Correlation among the three MR methods measured bone marrow fat fraction and BMAT ranges from 0.78 to 0.88 (P < 0.001) in the L3 vertebra. Correlation between BMAT measured by T1-weighted MRI and bone marrow fat fraction measured by modified FFMRI is 0.86 (P < 0.001) in femoral necks.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There are good correlations among T1-weighted MRI, FFMRI, and MRS for bone marrow fat quantification. The inhomogeneous distribution of bone marrow fat, the threshold segmentation of the T1-weighted MRI, and the ambiguity of the FFMRI may partially explain the difference among the three methods.
authors.affiliation: New York Obesity Nutrition Research Center, St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital and Institute of Human Nutrition, Columbia University, 1090 Amsterdam Avenue, 14K, New York, NY 10025, USA. ws2003@columbia.edu
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Xiuqun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.forename: Ye
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jin
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000473:pathology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015519:Bone Density; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D005272:Femur Neck; D006801:Humans; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008875:Middle Aged; D015663:Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal / Q000473:pathology