Magnetic resonance imaging of the bone marrow in patients with aplastic anemia and myelodysplastic syndrome]

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of bone marrow was performed in 16 patients with aplastic anemia (AA) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Sagittal images from the lower thoracic and lumbar vertebral marrow were evaluated on short TI IR sequences (STIR, IR 2000/160/20). Four distinct patterns of signal intensity (SI) of the STIR images corresponding with active red marrow were classified as follows: pattern I, homogeneously low SI (4 cases); II, marginally high SI (2 cases); III, heterogeneously high SI (8 cases); IV, homogeneously high SI (2 cases). The SI distribution of STIR images strongly correlated with the cellularity of clot specimens of aspirates from sternum using the Wiebel test plate. In all three patients with AA, the STIR images revealed pattern I. In 8 of 13 cases of MDS patients, the STIR images were classified into pattern III. In one patient with hypoplastic MDS, the STIR image showed low SI. The STIR images of two AA patients at clinical remission after treatment showed marginally high SI similar to those of normal marrow. MRI of bone marrow can be a useful technique for the diagnosis of AA and MDS and for monitoring therapeutic effects.