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

• Published in: Magnetic resonance in medicine 2004-08, Vol.52 (2), p.440-444
• Main Authors: Kose, Katsumi, Matsuda, Yoshimasa, Kurimoto, Takeaki, Hashimoto, Seitarou, Yamazaki, Yukako, Haishi, Tomoyuki, Utsuzawa, Shin, Yoshioka, Hiroshi, Okada, Shigemasu, Aoki, Masaaki, Tsuzaki, Tsuyoshi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Bone Density; calcaneus; Calcaneus - anatomy & histology; compact MRI; Equipment Design; Female; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging - instrumentation; Middle Aged; permanent magnet; Phantoms, Imaging; Reproducibility of Results; trabecular bone
• ISSN: 0740-3194; 1522-2594
• DOI: 10.1002/mrm.20135

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 (R2 = 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. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.