Volume-selective proton MRS in vertebral bodies.

Volume-selective 1H magnetic resonance spectra of small volume elements of (13 mm)3 positioned in lumbar vertebral bodies have been investigated in 15 healthy persons of different ages and sexes and in 11 patients with leukemia using double spin-echo sequences. Signal intensities and positions of the spectral lines have been evaluated. Interindividual spectra of VOI located in the center of vertebral bodies, intraindividual spectra of central VOI in different vertebral bodies, and spectra of different localizations within the same vertebral body have been compared as well as spectra before and partly after cytostatic treatment in leukemia patients. Unexpected phenomena of the signal shapes have been found. The water signal distributions in healthy persons compared to patients after bone marrow transplantation show significant differences. The success of the cytostatic treatment in cases of leukemia is accompanied by an increase in the intensity of the lipid signals and a decrease in the water signals.