Simultaneous acquisition of MR elastography, Dixon water-fat separation images, and CT-like bone contrast using a...

This study proposes a unified imaging framework that enables simultaneous acquisition of MR elastography (MRE), Dixon-based water-fat separation images, and CT-like bone contrast within a single gradient-echo multi-echo sequence. A MEG-less multi-echo GRE acquisition was modified to incorporate three contrast mechanisms: the first echo was used for water-fat separation via a two-point Dixon method, MEG-like motion encoding generated by alternating readout gradients provided displacement sensitivity in later echoes, and in-phase TE echoes inherently present in the echo train were selectively combined to generate FRACTURE-style bone images. Seven healthy male volunteers were scanned at 3.0 T imager using a lumbar vibration actuator operating at 50 Hz. Water-fat selectivity exceeded leakage by more than an order of magnitude, demonstrating that Dixon separation was functionally preserved under the proposed framework. Shear modulus values of the bilateral psoas major muscles were consistent with previously reported MEG-less MRE results, with no significant side-to-side differences (p = 0.688). FRACTURE-style images showed consistent vertebral-body contrast across all volunteers. Vibration produced visible degradation in Dixon images, predominantly near the actuator. The proposed MEG-less multi-echo GRE approach allows concurrent acquisition of compositional, mechanical, and bone-related information without extending scan time or requiring additional sequences, offering a practical strategy for comprehensive musculoskeletal assessment.