INTRODUCTION: There is an age-related conversion of red to yellow bone marrow in the axial skeleton, with a gender-related difference less well established. Our purpose was to clarify the variability of bone marrow fat fraction (FF) in the lumbar spine due to the interaction of gender and age groups. METHODS: 44 healthy volunteers (20 males, 30-65 years old and 24 females, 30-69 years old) underwent 3T magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and conventional MRI examination of the lumbar spine; single-voxel spectrum was acquired for each vertebral body (VB). After controlling body mass index (BMI), a two-way between-groups multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) assessed the gender and age group differences in FF quantification for each lumbar VB. RESULTS: There was a significant interaction between gender and age group, p=.017, with a large effect size (partial η(2)=.330). However the interaction explained only 33% of the observed variance. Main effects were not statistically significant. BMI was non-significantly related to FF quantification. CONCLUSIONS: Young males showed a high FF content, which declined in the 4th decade, then increased the next 3 decades to reach a FF content just below the initial FF means. Females' FF were low in the 3rd decade, depicted an accelerated increase in the 4th decade, then a gradual increase the next 3 decades to reach a FF content similar to males' values. Our findings suggest that quantification of bone marrow FF using MRS might be used as a surrogate biomarker of bone marrow activity in clinical settings.
INTRODUCTION: There is an age-related conversion of red to yellow bone marrow in the axial skeleton, with a gender-related difference less well established. Our purpose was to clarify the variability of bone marrow fat fraction (FF) in the lumbar spine due to the interaction of gender and age groups. METHODS: 44 healthy volunteers (20 males, 30-65 years old and 24 females, 30-69 years old) underwent 3T magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and conventional MRI examination of the lumbar spine; single-voxel spectrum was acquired for each vertebral body (VB). After controlling body mass index (BMI), a two-way between-groups multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) assessed the gender and age group differences in FF quantification for each lumbar VB. RESULTS: There was a significant interaction between gender and age group, p=.017, with a large effect size (partial η(2)=.330). However the interaction explained only 33% of the observed variance. Main effects were not statistically significant. BMI was non-significantly related to FF quantification. CONCLUSIONS: Young males showed a high FF content, which declined in the 4th decade, then increased the next 3 decades to reach a FF content just below the initial FF means. Females' FF were low in the 3rd decade, depicted an accelerated increase in the 4th decade, then a gradual increase the next 3 decades to reach a FF content similar to males' values. Our findings suggest that quantification of bone marrow FF using MRS might be used as a surrogate biomarker of bone marrow activity in clinical settings.
Authors: Stefan Ruschke; Amber Pokorney; Thomas Baum; Holger Eggers; Jeffrey H Miller; Houchun H Hu; Dimitrios C Karampinos Journal: MAGMA Date: 2017-04-05 Impact factor: 2.310
Authors: Nico Sollmann; Agnes Zoffl; Daniela Franz; Jan Syväri; Michael Dieckmeyer; Egon Burian; Elisabeth Klupp; Dennis M Hedderich; Christina Holzapfel; Theresa Drabsch; Jan S Kirschke; Ernst J Rummeny; Claus Zimmer; Hans Hauner; Dimitrios C Karampinos; Thomas Baum Journal: Quant Imaging Med Surg Date: 2020-02
Authors: Ville Huovinen; Marco Bucci; Heta Lipponen; Riku Kiviranta; Samuel Sandboge; Juho Raiko; Suvi Koskinen; Kalle Koskensalo; Johan G Eriksson; Riitta Parkkola; Patricia Iozzo; Pirjo Nuutila Journal: PLoS One Date: 2016-09-26 Impact factor: 3.240