Ultrashort echo time bi‐component analysis of cortical bone—a field dependence study

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Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of differing field strength on the of cortical bone at 1.5 T and 3 T.Methods: Ultrashort echo time pulse sequences were used to study six bovine and nine human bone samples at 1.5 T and 3 T using single‐ and bi‐component analysis.Results: On average, the bound water of bovine bone decreased by 16% (from 0.32 ms at 1.5 T to 0.27 ms at 3 T, P < 0.01) and the bound water of human bone decreased by 21% (from 0.42 ms at 1.5 T to 0.33 ms at 3 T, P < 0.01) at the higher field strength. The free water of bovine bone decreased by 50% (from 4.23 ms at 1.5 T to 2.12 ms at 3 T, P < 0.001) and the free water of human bone decreased by 68% (from 7.65 ms at 1.5 T to 2.46 ms at 3 T, P < 0.001) at the higher field strength. Bound and free water fractions showed only minor change with field strength in bovine (< 2%, P > 0.05) and human bone (< 4%, P > 0.05).Conclusion: Ultrashort echo time bi‐component analysis provides consistent bound and free water fractions at 1.5 T and 3 T, thereby allowing field‐independent comparisons. Magn Reson Med 71:1075–1081, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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