Evaluation of cortical bone perfusion using dynamic contrast enhanced ultrashort echo time imaging: a feasibility...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Radiology
• Orthopedics

Background:

• Conventional MRI struggles to image cortical bone due to low signal.
• Two-dimensional ultrashort echo time (2D UTE) sequences enable signal detection from cortical bone.
• Adiabatic 2D inversion recovery UTE (IR-UTE) sequences enhance contrast and reduce artifacts in cortical bone imaging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility of 2D UTE and 2D IR-UTE sequences for dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) of cortical bone.
• To assess perfusion parameters in the cortical bone of rabbits and human volunteers using these novel MRI sequences.

Main Methods:

• Cortical bone perfusion was studied in rabbits (n=12) and human volunteers (n=3) using 2D UTE and 2D IR-UTE sequences on a 3T scanner.
• Dynamic data were acquired before and after Gd-BOPTA contrast agent injection.
• Kinetic analysis included Brix model, maximum enhancement (ME), and enhancement slope (ES).

Main Results:

• 2D UTE and 2D IR-UTE sequences successfully detected dynamic contrast enhancement in rabbit and human cortical bone.
• Higher ME and ES values were observed with 2D IR-UTE compared to 2D UTE in rabbit femurs.
• Human volunteers showed lower ME and ES values in tibial midshaft compared to rabbits.

Conclusions:

• 2D UTE and 2D IR-UTE sequences are feasible for DCE-MRI of cortical bone.
• These advanced MRI techniques demonstrate potential for clinical studies in bone imaging.