[Study of gradient echo (GRE) Dixon image using low-field MRI scanner for examination of metastatic bone marrow tumors: comparison of double and single echo sequences].

We evaluated the gradient echo (GRE) Dixon method in metastatic bone tumors using a low-field MRI scanner (0.2 Tesla). This method is characterized by the double echo sequence of in-phase and opposed-phase. Studies were carried out on a phantom, 14 healthy volunteers, and clinical examples (33 vertebral bodies) using the T(1)-weighted spin echo, T(2)-weighted turbo spin echo, and GRE Dixon methods. Further, we obtained addition and subtraction images from the double echo sequence. In the clinical examples, the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of the subtraction images (51.3+/-24.1) was significantly better than that of the T(1)-SE images (6.7+/-3.1, p<0.0001). For the examination of metastatic bone marrow tumors using a low-field MRI scanner (0.2 Tesla), subtraction images are thought to be the most effective.