Quantification of vertebral bone marrow fat content using 3 tesla MR spectroscopy: Reproducibility, vertebral variation, and applications in osteoporosis

Abstract

To determine the reproducibility of proton MR spectroscopy ((1) H-MRS) for assessing vertebral bone marrow adiposity at 3 Tesla (T); to evaluate variation of marrow adiposity at different vertebral levels; and to demonstrate the feasibility of using (1) H-MRS at 3T for evaluating marrow adiposity in subjects with low bone density. Single voxel MRS was acquired at vertebral body L1 to L4 at 3T in 51 postmenopausal females including healthy controls (n = 13) and patients with osteoporosis/osteopenia (n = 38). Marrow fat contents were compared between vertebral levels and between groups using analysis of variance (ANOVA). Six subjects were scanned twice to evaluate technique reproducibility. The average coefficient of variation of vertebral marrow fat content quantification was 1.7%. Marrow fat content significantly increased from L1 to L4. The average fat content was significantly elevated in patients with osteoporosis/osteopenia compared with controls, adjusted for age and body mass index (P < 0.05). In vivo MRS at high field strength provides reliable measurement of marrow adiposity with excellent reproducibility and can be a valuable tool for providing complementary information on bone quality and potentially also fracture risk.