Performance of 7T MRI-Based Virtual Bone Biopsy for Structural and Mechanical Analysis at the Distal Tibia

Yusuf Abu Tayeb Bhagat¹, Chamith S. Rajapakse¹, James H. Love¹, Michael J. Wald¹, Jeremy F. Magland¹, Alexander C. Wright¹, Hee Kwon Song¹, Felix W. Wehrli¹

The detection of subtle microstructural trabecular bone (TB) alterations such as the conversion of plates to rods requires adequate signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), which governs achievable spatial resolution and scan time. Increased SNR may enhance detection sensitivity for microstructural changes in treatment studies. Here, the reproducibility of TB quantitative parameters was investigated using a new 3D fast-spin-echo technique at 7.0T. The imaging and analysis protocol is shown to provide highly reproducible measures of scale, topology and mechanical parameters related to TB microstructure. Performance improvements relative to earlier work are attributed to enhanced SNR, motion control and correction, and improved registration techniques.