Three and Four Point Dixon Comparison at 3T: in Vitro and in Vivo

Nathan Noble^1,2, Stephen Keevil^1,3, John Totman⁴, Geoff Charles-Edwards^1,3

In this study, 3 and 4-point Dixon MRI methods were compared at 3T in phantoms with known compositions of fat and water and compared to fat-water ratios from localised MRS in the calf muscle from eight healthy volunteers.In vitro, both 3 and 4 point Dixon techniques investigated correlated well with the fat content of the phantoms. In vivo, the 4 point Dixon technique with a 1 or 1.22 ms TE appears to be the more reliable technique for intra muscular fat quantification.