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Measurement of vertebral bone marrow proton density fat fraction in children using quantitative water–fat MRI

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Abstract

Objectives

To investigate the feasibility of employing a 3D time-interleaved multi-echo gradient-echo (TIMGRE) sequence to measure the proton density fat fraction (PDFF) in the vertebral bone marrow (VBM) of children and to examine cross-sectional changes with age and intra-individual variations from the lumbar to the cervical region in the first two decades of life.

Materials and methods

Quantitative water–fat imaging of the spine was performed in 93 patients (49 girls; 44 boys; age median 4.5 years; range 0.1–17.6 years). For data acquisition, a six-echo 3D TIMGRE sequence was used with phase correction and complex-based water–fat separation. Additionally, single-voxel MR spectroscopy (MRS) was performed in the L4 vertebrae of 37 patients. VBM was manually segmented in the midsagittal slice of each vertebra. Univariable and multivariable linear regression models were calculated between averaged lumbar, thoracic and cervical bone marrow PDFF and age with adjustments for sex, height, weight, and body mass index percentile.

Results

Measured VBM PDFF correlated strongly between imaging and MRS (R 2 = 0.92, slope = 0.94, intercept = −0.72%). Lumbar, thoracic and cervical VBM PDFF correlated significantly (all p < 0.001) with the natural logarithm of age. Differences between female and male patients were not significant (p > 0.05).

Conclusion

VBM development in children showed a sex-independent cross-sectional increase of PDFF correlating with the natural logarithm of age and an intra-individual decrease of PDFF from the lumbar to the cervical region in all age groups. The present results demonstrate the feasibility of using a 3D TIMGRE sequence for PDFF assessment in VBM of children.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank librarian Kathy Zeblisky from Phoenix Children’s Hospital for reference assistance.

Grant support

Stefan Ruschke was supported by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) through the “Kurzstipendien für Doktorandinnen und Doktoranden” program. This work was supported by grant support from Philips Healthcare (to Dimitrios C. Karampinos). Thomas Baum received grant support from the Technical University of Munich, Faculty of Medicine (KKF H01).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Ismaninger Straße 22, 81675, München, Germany

    Stefan Ruschke, Thomas Baum & Dimitrios C. Karampinos

  2. Radiology, Phoenix Children’s Hospital, 1919 E Thomas Rd, Phoenix, 85016, AZ, USA

    Amber Pokorney, Jeffrey H. Miller & Houchun H. Hu

  3. Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Ismaninger Straße 22, 81675, München, Germany

    Thomas Baum

  4. Philips Research Laboratory, Röntgenstraße 24-26, 22335, Hamburg, Germany

    Holger Eggers

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  1. Stefan Ruschke
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Correspondence to Stefan Ruschke.

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Conflict of interest

Holger Eggers is an employee of Philips Healthcare. Dimitrios Karampinos receives grant support from Philips Healthcare.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Ruschke, S., Pokorney, A., Baum, T. et al. Measurement of vertebral bone marrow proton density fat fraction in children using quantitative water–fat MRI. Magn Reson Mater Phy 30, 449–460 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10334-017-0617-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10334-017-0617-0

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