Spectroscopic imaging of bone marrow composition in vertebral bodies

The proton spectroscopic imaging technique that uses read gradient during a cquisition was used for the measurement of the proton spectra in the lumbar and thoracic part of the spine of a patient with breast cancer without kno wn skeletal metastases. The bone marrow fat/water ratios were evaluated in the same location before and after chemotherapy treatment. The results were corrected for relaxation effects. The fat/water ratios showed a significan t increase as a consequence of the bone marrow degradation process due to c hemotherapy. The proposed spectroscopic imaging technique offers rapid acqu isition of proton spectra from large volumes of the vertebral bodies. (C) 2 001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.