Fatty acid characterization of vertebral body marrow using MR Z-spectral imaging at 3 T

Motivation: MR Z-spectral imaging (ZSI) offers a new way to generate fat spectrum. However, its feasibility for fatty acid characterization remains to be elucidated. Goal(s): This study designed a ZSI protocol and investigated its capability in fat measurement. Approach: The designed ZSI protocol was tested on a fat-water phantom and vertebral body marrows in healthy volunteers and osteoporosis patients at 3 T. Results: ZSI-measured fat fraction (FF) significantly correlated with oil volumes in the phantom. Moreover, osteoporosis patients exhibited significantly higher normalized fat peak amplitudes and FF than healthy volunteers, indicating the ability of ZSI in revealing fatty acid differences under different pathological states. Impact: The designed ZSI protocol was feasible for fatty acid characterization. Significant differences of fatty acid metrics were detected between osteoporosis patients and healthy volunteers, suggesting the potentials of the designed ZSI protocol in facilitating fat-related disease diagnosis and evaluation.