Abstract #1601

Potential Diagnostic Role of the MRI-Derived Internal Magnetic Field Gradient in Calcaneus Cancellous Bone for Evaluating Postmenopausal Osteoporosis at 3T

Silvia Capuani¹, Mauro Rebuzzi²,³, Felix W. Wehrli⁴

¹Physics Department Sapienza University of Rome, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy, Italy; ²Physics Department, CNR IPCF Roma "Sapienza " University of Rome, Rome, Italy, Italy; ³Radiology Department, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy, Italy; ⁴Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pa, United States

In cancellous bone, the susceptibility mismatch between the bone matrix and interstitial bone-marrow, generates internal magnetic field gradients (IMFG) at the interface between bone and bone-marrow water. We assessed the potential of IMFG to evaluate cancellous bone quality in the calcaneus of postmenopausal women. We examined healthy, osteopenic and osteoporotic subjects at 3T, as classified by bone mineral density (BMD), by measuring IMFG at various calcaneal sites and assessing associations between BMD and T2*. Our results suggest the ability of the IMFG evaluated in the subtalar calcaneal region to discriminate between healthy osteopenic and osteoporotic subjects better than T2*.