Fat fraction of lumbar bone marrow using in vivo proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

Localized proton spectra of the human lumbar vertebral body were recorded in vivo at 1.5 T, using the STEAM (stimulated echo acquisition mode) pulse sequence. Thirty-seven patients (18 men, 19 women) were examined, ranging in age from 21 to 68 years (mean = 40, SD = 13). The fat fraction of the bone marrow was calculated from the areas of the fat and water peaks in the spectrum. The results demonstrate that, in the course of aging, there is a systematic increase in measured fat percentage of about 7% per decade of age. No sex difference could be established on the basis of our results.