Quantitative 1 H Magnetic Resonance Imaging on Normal and Pathologic Rat Bones by Solid-State 1 H ZTE Sequence with Water and Fat Suppression

Osteoporosis (OP) and osteomalacia (OM) are metabolic bone diseases characterized by mineral and matrix density changes. Quantitative bone matrix density differentiates OM from OP. MRI is a noninvasive and nonionizing imaging technique that can measure bone matrix density quantitatively in ex vivo and in vivo. To demonstrate water + fat suppressed H MRI to compute bone matrix density in ex vivo rat femurs in the preclinical model. Prospective. Fifteen skeletally mature female Sprague-Dawley rats, five per group (normal, ovariectomized (OVX), partially nephrectomized/vitamin D (Vit-D) deficient), 250-275 g, ∼15 weeks old. 7T, zero echo time sequence with water + fat (VAPOR) suppression capability, μCT imaging, and gravimetric measurements. Cortical and trabecular bone segments from normal and disease models were scanned in the same coil along with a dual calibration phantom for quantitative assessment of bone matrix density. ANOVA and linear regression were used for data analysis, with P-values