Development of a compact MRI system for trabecular bone volume fraction measurements

✍ Scribed by Katsumi Kose; Yoshimasa Matsuda; Takeaki Kurimoto; Seitarou Hashimoto; Yukako Yamazaki; Tomoyuki Haishi; Shin Utsuzawa; Hiroshi Yoshioka; Shigemasu Okada; Masaaki Aoki; Tsuyoshi Tsuzaki

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2004
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 212 KB
• Volume: 52
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0740-3194
• DOI: 10.1002/mrm.20135

✦ Synopsis

A compact MRI system for measuring trabecular bone volume fraction (TBVF) of the calcaneus was developed with the use of a 0.21 T permanent magnet and portable MRI console. The entire system weighed < 600 kg and was installed in a 2 m ؋ 2 m space. Two cross-sectional spin-echo images of a heel acquired with external reference phantoms (total measurement time ‫؍‬ 5 min) were used to quantify the TBVF of the calcaneus. The linearity and reproducibility of the measurements were evaluated by means of proton density-adjusted phantoms. Comparative measurements with quantitative ultrasound (QUS) in groups of healthy female volunteers showed a relatively high positive correlation (R 2 ‫؍‬ 0.4539, 0.2693) between TBVF and the speed of sound (SOS). These results demonstrate the potential of this new system for measuring bone density. Magn Reson Med 52:440 -444, 2004.