[Morphological characterization of trabecular bone structure using high resolution magnetic resonance imaging]

The morphological analysis of trabecular bone of the distal epiphysis of the radius and its three-dimensional representation allow an adequate evaluation of bone quality. We analyzed trabecular bone morphology and its three-dimensional modeling with high resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to determine the parameters that provide useful information about bone condition.

All data were acquired using 3D T1-weighted gradient-echo sequences in a 3-Tesla MRI scanner. The mathematical algorithms required to study trabecular bone structure were developed in a Matlab environment on a personal computer. A total of 16 healthy subjects (10 women and 6 men; aged 23 to 54 years, mean 36+/-10 years) were studied. No significant differences were found between women (mean age 39+/-12, range: 23-54 years) and men (mean age 33+/-6, range: 25-42) (p = 0.285). Healthy subjects were recruited from among normal subjects studied to assess the ligaments of the wrist. The morphological parameters analyzed were trabecular volume, mean trabecular thickness, mean trabecular separation, and trabecular index.

The morphological parameters that were useful in the evaluation of bone quality were trabecular volume (women: 23.22+/-1.78%; men: 27.49+/-1.30%), trabecular thickness (women: 0.1901+/-0.0014 mm; men: 0.1935+/-0.0014 mm), trabecular separation (women: 0.8332+/-0.0440 mm; men: 0.7697+/-0.0258 mm), and the number of trabeculae (women: 1.2215+/-0.0920 mm-1; men: 1.4207+/-0.0640 mm-1). Statistically significant differences between men and women were found for all the parameters analyzed; no significant differences were found in relation with age in this series.

High resolution MRI enabled the morphological characterization of the trabecular bone structure; this represents an advance in the detection of biomarkers for disease.