Non-Invasive Technique for MRI Diagnostics of Bone Marrow Cellularity in Children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Abstract

Evaluation of the apparent fat fraction (FF) changes in patients at different stages of leukemia treatment compared with children without hematological disorders. The study included 24 healthy volunteers (control group), 40 patients with leukemia: 20 in the acute phase of the disease and 20 patients after chemotherapy in hematopoietic aplasia. Four regions of interest were chosen in size of 150 mm2: in the body of the right and left iliac bones, as well as in the bodies of L4 and L5 vertebras. FF significantly changes in patients with leukemia regarding the control group. Quantitative MRI images is a new method for assessing changes in the bone marrow of children with leukemia.