Accuracy, repeatability, and reproducibility of water-fat magnetic resonance imaging in a phantom and healthy volunteer

• Published in: Physics and imaging in radiation oncology Vol. 32; p. 100651
• Main Authors: Corbeau, Anouk, van Gastel, Pien, Wielopolski, Piotr A., de Jong, Nick, Creutzberg, Carien L., van der Heide, Uulke A., de Boer, Stephanie M., Astreinidou, Eleftheria
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.10.2024; Elsevier
• Subjects: Bone marrow; Chemoradiotherapy; Proton density fat fraction; Quantitative MRI; Technical Note; Validation study; Water-fat MR; Bone marrow; Water-fat MR; Quantitative MRI; Proton density fat fraction; Chemoradiotherapy; Validation study
• ISSN: 2405-6316; 2405-6316
• DOI: 10.1016/j.phro.2024.100651

•Water-fat magnetic resonance imaging can evaluate bone marrow fat changes.•Water-fat magnetic resonance imaging should be validated for use in clinical studies.•Our study serves as an example of a robust validation methodology.•Phantom measurements showed an excellent accuracy, repeatability, and reproducibility.•Volunteer measurements showed an acceptable repeatability and reproducibility. Bone marrow (BM) damage due to chemoradiotherapy can increase BM fat in cervical cancer patients. Water-fat magnetic resonance (MR) scans were performed on a phantom and a healthy female volunteer to validate proton density fat fraction accuracy, reproducibility, and repeatability across different vendors, field strengths, and protocols. Phantom measurements showed a high accuracy, high repeatability, and excellent reproducibility. Volunteer measurements had an excellent intra- and interreader reliability, good repeatability, and moderate to good reproducibility. Water-fat MRI show potential for quantification of longitudinal vertebral BM fat changes. Further studies are needed to validate and extend these findings for broader clinical applicability.