Implications of pulse sequence in structural imaging of trabecular bone

Purpose To investigate the SNR and image properties of 3D steady‐state free precession (SSFP), fast large‐angle spin echo (FLASE), gradient‐recalled acquisition in steady state (GRASS), and spoiled GRASS (SPGR) for structural imaging of trabecular bone (TB). Materials and Methods SNR was examined theoretically and experimentally on phantoms, bone specimens, and in vivo. The bone volume fraction, TB thickness, and echo time (TE) dependence of the thickness were compared. The trabecula was modeled as a cylinder in simulations to examine the intravoxel spin‐dephasing in SSFP and GRASS. Images were acquired on a 1.5T Siemens Sonata system (40 mT/m maximum gradient, 200 T/m/s peak slew rate). Results Within the hardware and safety limit constraints, SNR of FLASE was superior, followed by SSFP, GRASS, and SPGR. The trabecular thickness derived from gradient‐echo images was 10–45% greater than that obtained with FLASE. Conversely, SSFP images delineated partial volume trabeculae better than FLASE. Simulations indicated that the artifactual thickening was more severe in SSFP than in GRASS, which was attributed to off‐resonance effects from the induced gradients at the bone/marrow interface. Conclusion FLASE had the highest SNR and was insensitive to susceptibility dephasing. Although SSFP has superior SNR compared to GRASS, off‐resonance effects and duty cycle limitations may compromise its practicality in this application. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.