Identification of sarcopenia and exploration of the “bone-muscle” association using multiparametric quantitative MRI: a cross-section study

Motivation: The histological association between osteoporosis and sarcopenia has not been fully clarified. Exploring new imaging markers can help improve the efficiency of sarcopenia screening. Goal(s): We hypothesized that these functional MRI techniques could quantify multiple structural and functional changes associated with aging in bone and muscle at the microscopic level and could be used as a tool for noninvasive assessment of spinal and paravertebral muscles in postmenopausal osteoporosis. Approach: This study demonstrated that paravertebral muscle-specific MRI parameters can potentially detect sarcopenia in osteoporosis patients. Results: Quantitative MRI parameters reveal associations between paravertebral muscle and bone marrow components and predict poor clinical outcomes. Impact: This study showed that functional MRI parameters of the paravertebral muscles have the potential to predict sarcopenia. Furthermore, the occurrence of osteoporosis and sarcopenia are not independent. There were associations between specific paravertebral muscle components and vertebral bone marrow.