Bone metastases with post-treatment intralesional fatty content of the spine: imaging features from T1-weighted imaging with CT finding correlations

Abstract

Background Despite post-treatment intralesional fatty content (PIFAT) in bone metastases indicating a healing processes after treatment, the imaging features of PIFAT have not been studied in detail. Purpose To analyze imaging features from T1-weighted (T1W) imaging with computed tomography (CT) finding correlations in bone metastases with PIFAT of the spine. Material and Methods A total of 29 bone metastases with PIFAT were analyzed with T1W and CT images before and after treatment. On T1W imaging after treatment, the lesions were categorized into three types according to fat distribution patterns. CT attenuation changes after treatment were also evaluated. According to the MD Anderson (MDA) criteria, response types for all lesions were obtained on magnetic resonance (MR) and CT images. Results The types from T1W imaging in bone metastases with PIFAT were as follows: 14 with a return to totally normal marrow signal intensity within the lesion; 13 with an inhomogeneous patchy pattern in the lesion; and two with a peripheral halo of fatty marrow or peripheral fat signal intensity foci in the lesion. Among bone metastases with PIFAT, 93.1% showed osteosclerotic changes in this study. According to the MDA criteria, the concordance between the response types of the MR and CT images was 57.2%. Conclusion Knowledge of imaging features from T1W imaging with CT correlation in bone metastases with PIFAT is important for the accurate interpretation of post-treatment MR and CT studies. Both MR and CT images have a complementary value regarding the post-treatment evaluation of bone metastases with PIFAT.