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Useful internal standards for distinguishing infiltrative marrow pathology from hematopoietic marrow at MRI
Author(s) -
Carroll Kevin W.,
Feller John F.,
Tirman Phillip F. J.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
journal of magnetic resonance imaging
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.563
H-Index - 160
eISSN - 1522-2586
pISSN - 1053-1807
DOI - 10.1002/jmri.1880070224
Subject(s) - bone marrow , pathology , medicine , haematopoiesis , biology , stem cell , genetics
The objective of this study was to establish internal standards on MRI differentiating infiltrative marrow pathology from hematopoietic marrow. The T1‐weighted images of 74 patients (51 biopsy‐proven; 23 clinical follow‐up) were reviewed retrospectively. The relative signal intensity of bone marrow was compared to adjacent skeletal muscle ( n = 65) and/or nondegenerated intervertebral disk ( n = 53). Twenty foci were hyperintense compared to muscle, of which 17 (85%) cases represented normal red marrow ( P < .0001); 45 were isointense or hypointense compared to muscle, of which 44 (98%) represented infiltrative marrow processes ( P < .0001). Twelve were hyperintense compared to disk, of which 12 (100%) represented normal red marrow ( P < .0001); 41 were isointense or hypointense compared to disk, of which 40 (98%) represented infiltrative marrow processes ( P < .0001). On T1‐weighted spin‐echo MRI, skeletal muscle and intervertebral disk may serve as internal standards for differentiating infiltrative pathology from normal hematopoietic marrow. Marrow lesions that are relatively isointense or hypointense to muscle and/or disk should not be considered normal hematopoietic marrow.