Abstract #4989

Bone Marrow Susceptibility as a Marker of Bone Mineral Density in Spondyloarthritis

Anita Karsa¹, Timothy J.P. Bray^2,3, Alan Bainbridge⁴, Shonit Punwani², Margaret A. Hall-Craggs², and Karin Shmueli¹

¹Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, London, United Kingdom, ²Centre for Medical Imaging, University College London, London, United Kingdom, ³Arthritis Research UK Centre for Adolescent Rheumatology, University College London, London, United Kingdom, ⁴Department of Medical Physics, University College London Hospitals, London, United Kingdom

New bone formation (causing spinal fusion) and bone loss are both key features of spondyloarthritis, and contribute to significant morbidity and disability. However, these processes are difficult to monitor using conventional MRI, which provides minimal information about bone mineral density (BMD). Here, we show that bone marrow susceptibility can be used as a marker of BMD, using data from a fat-water-bone phantom and from subjects with spondyloarthritis. Susceptibility values are significantly increased in areas of fat metaplasia compared to normal marrow, suggesting that this lesion represents a form of local bone loss, which could be monitored using susceptibility mapping.

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