Multiparametric MRI scans may help analyze water and fat associated tissue changes, which aids identifying bone damage in pediatric Gaucher disease patients, according to a study published in Clinical Imaging.
Here are five things to know:
1. Researchers in Egypt assessed multiparametric MRI scans of 29 pediatric patients with Gaucher disease and 13 children, of matching age and gender, without the disease.
2. Additionally, 13 patients were already being treated with enzyme replacement therapy at the time of the study.
3. The MRI scans were conducted in the bone marrow of each participant's lumbar spine to analyze the apparent diffusion coefficient and fat fraction.
4. Imaging results showed ADC and fat fraction of bone marrow in Gaucher patients were significantly lower than the non-Gaucher patients.
5. Patients treated with enzyme replacement therapy exhibited significantly higher values of fat fraction and ADC than untreated patients.
Researchers concluded ADC and fat fraction are quantitative imaging parameters of multiparametric MRI scans that can be used to detect vertebral bone marrow involvement in pediatric Gaucher disease patients.