Fat fraction estimation of morphologically normal lumbar vertebrae using the two-point mDixon turbo spin-echo MRI with flexible echo times and multipeak spectral model of fat: Comparison between cancer and non-cancer patients

Seung Hyun Lee; Young Han Lee; Seok Hahn; Jin-Suck Suh

doi:10.1016/j.mri.2016.05.007

Fat fraction estimation of morphologically normal lumbar vertebrae using the two-point mDixon turbo spin-echo MRI with flexible echo times and multipeak spectral model of fat: Comparison between cancer and non-cancer patients

Magn Reson Imaging. 2016 Oct;34(8):1114-20. doi: 10.1016/j.mri.2016.05.007. Epub 2016 May 20.

Authors

Seung Hyun Lee¹, Young Han Lee², Seok Hahn³, Jin-Suck Suh⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Radiology, Research Institute of Radiological Science, Medical Convergence Research Institute, and Severance Biomedical Science Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 50-1 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: circle1128@yuhs.ac.
² Department of Radiology, Research Institute of Radiological Science, Medical Convergence Research Institute, and Severance Biomedical Science Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 50-1 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: sando@yuhs.ac.
³ Department of Radiology, Research Institute of Radiological Science, Medical Convergence Research Institute, and Severance Biomedical Science Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 50-1 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: andrew0668@yuhs.ac.
⁴ Department of Radiology, Research Institute of Radiological Science, Medical Convergence Research Institute, and Severance Biomedical Science Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 50-1 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: jss@yuhs.ac.

PMID: 27211257
DOI: 10.1016/j.mri.2016.05.007

Abstract

Purpose: This study aims to compare fat fraction of lumbar vertebrae between cancer and non-cancer patients, using the two-point modified Dixon (mDixon) turbo spin-echo (TSE) MRI with flexible echo times and multipeak fat spectral model.

Materials and methods: Fat fraction was calculated from fat and water images reconstructed by the mDixon TSE technique. Fat fraction of fat-water phantoms measured with the mDixon TSE method was compared with actual fat percentages. Patients who had undergone mDixon spine MRI and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry within one year and had no bone metastasis were divided into cancer (n=7) and non-cancer (n=23) groups. Fat fraction and bone mineral density (BMD) were compared between the two groups.

Results: Fat fraction of phantoms measured with mDixon MRI was highly correlated with their actual fat percentages (P<0.01, R(2)=0.93). Fat fraction of lumbar vertebrae was significantly lower in cancer patients (58.27±3.16%) than in non-cancer patients (70.48±1.83%) (P<0.01). BMD was not different between cancer (0.912±0.057g/cm(2)) and non-cancer patients (0.876±0.032g/cm(2)) (P=0.58). Fat fraction and BMD showed no significant correlation (P=0.95, R=0.006).

Conclusions: A two-point mDixon TSE method for assessing fat fraction was reliable. Fat fraction of morphologically normal lumbar vertebrae was significantly lower in cancer patients compared to non-cancer patients, using the two-point mDixon TSE technique.

Keywords: Fat fraction; Fat water separation; Malignancy; Marrow imaging; Spine magnetic resonance imaging.

Publication types

Comparative Study

MeSH terms

Adipocytes / metabolism*
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Bone Density
Bone Marrow / diagnostic imaging
Bone Marrow / metabolism*
Female
Humans
Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / methods*
Lumbar Vertebrae / diagnostic imaging*
Magnetic Resonance Imaging / methods*
Male
Middle Aged
Neoplasms / metabolism*
Phantoms, Imaging
Retrospective Studies