Quantitative and diffusion MR imaging as a new method to assess osteoporosis.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The role of advanced MR imaging techniques in demonstrating the microarchitectural changes in osteoporosis has been recently investigated. Our aim was to determine the role of quantitative and diffusion MR imaging in the diagnosis of osteoporosis compared with dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). MATERIALS AND METHODS Fifty-one subjects underwent both DEXA and conventional MR imaging with diffusion and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) mapping. T1, T2, diffusion signal intensity, and ADC values were calculated and compared with bone mineral attenuation (BMD). Results were obtained from L1 to L4 of each patient with a total of 204 lumbar vertebrae. RESULTS Both T1 and T2 signal intensities tended to increase when both diffusion and ADC values decreased with reducing BMD. CONCLUSIONS An inverse relationship between BMD and T1 and T2 signal intensities and a direct relationship between diffusion and ADC values were present in this pilot group. The T1/diffusion signal-intensity ratio could be a reliable diagnostic indicator of osteoporosis.