title: Assessment of whole spine vertebral bone marrow fat using chemical shift-encoding based water-fat MRI.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The assessment of bone marrow composition has recently gained significant attention due to its association with bone loss pathophysiology and cancer therapy-induced bone marrow damage. The purpose of our study was to investigate the anatomical variation of the vertebral bone marrow fat using chemical shift-encoding based water-fat MRI and to assess the repeatability of these measurements.
  
  
  METHODS
  Chemical shift-encoding based water-fat MRI of the whole spine was performed in 28 young, healthy subjects (17 males, 11 females, 26 ± 4 years). Six subjects were scanned three times with repositioning to assess the repeatability of these measurements. Proton density fat fraction (PDFF) maps were computed and manually segmented to obtain PDFF of C3-L5.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean PDFF of all subjects significantly increased from C3 to L5 (P < 0.05) with r = 0.88 (P < 0.05). PDFF averaged over C3-7, T1-6, T7-12, and L1-5 of males and females amounted to 31.7 ± 7.9% and 23.0 ± 7.8% (P = 0.002), 33.8 ± 6.8% and 24.6 ± 8.8% (P = 0.005), 33.8 ± 6.4% and 26.1 ± 6.4% (P = 0.023), and 38.8 ± 7.6% and 31.5 ± 12.4% (P = 0.063), respectively. The repeatability for PDFF measurements expressed as absolute precision error was 1.7% averaged over C3-L5.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Whole spine vertebral bone marrow fat could be reproducibly assessed by using chemical shift-encoding based water-fat MRI and showed anatomical variations.
authors: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany.
authors: Thomas
authors: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4574-5212
authors: T
authors: Baum
authors: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany.
authors: Samuel P
authors: SP
authors: Yap
authors: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany.
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Dieckmeyer
authors: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany.
authors: Stefan
authors: S
authors: Ruschke
authors: Philips Research Laboratory, Hamburg, Germany.
authors: Holger
authors: H
authors: Eggers
authors: Philips Healthcare, Hamburg, Germany.
authors: Hendrik
authors: H
authors: Kooijman
authors: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany.
authors: Ernst J
authors: EJ
authors: Rummeny
authors: Section of Neuroradiology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany.
authors: Jan S
authors: JS
authors: Bauer
authors: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany.
authors: Dimitrios C
authors: DC
authors: Karampinos
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology; D050154:Adiposity / Q000502:physiology; D000328:Adult; D000465:Algorithms; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013131:Spine / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology; D014867:Water / Q000032:analysis; D051598:Whole Body Imaging; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014867:Water
keywords: magnetic resonance imaging; proton density fat fraction (PDFF); vertebral bone marrow fat; water-fat imaging; whole spine