NMR relaxation times of trabecular bone—reproducibility, relationships to tissue structure and effects of sample freezing

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy provides a potential tool for non-invasive evaluation of the trabecular bone structure. The objective of this study was to determine the reproducibility of the NMR relaxation parameters (T(2), Carr-Purcel-T(2), T(1ρ)) for fat and water and relate those to the structural parameters obtained by micro-computed tomography (μCT). Especially, we aimed to evaluate the effect of freezing on the relaxation parameters. For storing bone samples, freezing is the standard procedure during which the biochemical and cellular organization of the bone marrow may be affected. Bovine trabecular bone samples were stored at -20 °C for 7 days and measured by NMR spec…