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Abstract #1594

Quantification of Bone Mineral Density in Human Cortical Bone by Solid State 31P MRI at 7 T

Alan C. Seifert1, Chamith S. Rajapakse1, Mahdieh Bashoor-Zadeh1, Cheng Li1, Yusuf A. Bhagat1, Alexander C. Wright1, Babette Zemel2, Antonios Zavaliangos3, Felix W. Wehrli1

1Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States; 2Division of GI, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, United States; 3Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, United States


Phosphorus-31 is a major component of bone mineral, and can be imaged and potentially quantified using solid-state MRI. When combined with a measurement of bone matrix density, this may enable non-invasive differentiation of osteoporosis from osteomalacia. Bone mineral 31P density was quantified in three human bone specimens using a 31P ZTE-PETRA sequence and external reference samples. MRI-based density measurements were complemented by pQCT, and corrections for porosity and bone tissue volume were performed using CT images. Apparent 31P MRI and pQCT densities were lowest in the oldest bone, and became more similar after correction for porosity and bone tissue volume.