Skorn Ponrartana1,
Houchun Harry Hu1, Kristine E. Andrade1, Jonathan M.
Chia2, Thomas G. Perkins2, Tishya A. L. Wren3,
Vicente Gilsanz1
1Radiology,
Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States; 2Philips
Healthcare, Cleveland, OH, United States; 3Orthopaedic Surgery,
Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
This work evaluates the repeatability of chemical-shift water-fat MRI and diffusion tensor imaging measures of muscle in a wide age range of healthy children. Mean difference between measures, intra-rater agreement, and inter-rater agreement were calculated. Both water-fat MRI and diffusion tensor imaging demonstrate minimal mean difference with excellent agreement. Of these techniques, water-fat MRI had the higher level of agreement. Additionally observed was a statistically significant association of muscle fat percentage with age. Water-fat MRI and diffusion tensor imaging can be performed in a clinical setting across a broad age group with good repeatability.