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Assessment of trabecular bone structure comparing magnetic resonance imaging at 3 Tesla with high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography ex vivo and in vivo

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Abstract

Summary

In vivo high-resolution peripheral quantitative micro-CT (HR-pQCT) is a new modality for imaging peripheral sites like the distal tibia and the distal radius, providing structural bone parameters. Comparing HR-pQCT with MRI, we found that both modalities are capable of offering meaningful information on trabecular structure.

Background

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has emerged as the leading in vivo method for measuring trabecular bone micro-architecture and providing structural information. Recently, an in vivo HR-pQCT modality was introduced for imaging peripheral sites like the distal tibia and the distal radius, providing structural bone parameters. The goal of this work was to compare and evaluate the performances and in vivo capabilities of HR-pQCT in comparison with MRI at 3 Tesla.

Methods

To this end images of 8 human specimens (5 tibiae and 3 radii) and 11 participants (6 tibia and 5 radii) were acquired with both modalities. Additionally, the radius specimens were scanned with micro-CT (μCT), which was used as a standard of reference. Structural parameters calculated from MRI were compared with results from HR-pQCT images and additionally μCT for the radii specimens.

Results

High correlations (r > 0.7) were found for trabecular number and trabecular spacing between the two modalities in vivo and ex vivo. 2D and 3D analysis revealed high correlations (r > 0.8) in structural bone parameters for all measurements. Using micro-CT as standard of reference both results from QCT and MRI correlated well.

Conclusion

Both imaging modalities were found to perform equally well regarding trabecular bone measurements.

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Acknowledgement

This work is funded by UCSF Radiology Seed Grant #05-16 and by NIH grant award program number R01-AR49701.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. MQIR, Department of Radiology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA

    R. Krug, J. Carballido-Gamio, A. J. Burghardt, G. Kazakia, B. H. Hyun, B. Jobke, S. Banerjee, M. Huber, T. M. Link & S. Majumdar

  2. University of California San Francisco-University of California Berkeley Joint Graduate Group in Bioengineering, San Francisco, CA, USA

    S. Banerjee & S. Majumdar

  3. QB3 Building, 2nd floor, #203, 1700-4th Street, San Francisco, CA, 94143-2520, USA

    R. Krug

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  1. R. Krug
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  2. J. Carballido-Gamio
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Correspondence to R. Krug.

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Krug, R., Carballido-Gamio, J., Burghardt, A.J. et al. Assessment of trabecular bone structure comparing magnetic resonance imaging at 3 Tesla with high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography ex vivo and in vivo. Osteoporos Int 19, 653–661 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00198-007-0495-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00198-007-0495-9

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