Radiation-free Bone Imaging UTE MRI in Healthy and Diseased Patients

Radiation-free Bone Imaging by Ultrashort Echo Time (UTE) Magnetic Resonance Tomography (MRT)

In summary, the investigators want to investigate whether UTE sequences are capable to replace imaging techniques involving ionizing radiation for bone imaging in the future. This would improve patient care greatly and might reduce medical imaging associated cancer risk drastically from an epidemiological standpoint. This field of research can be considered cutting-edge. The investigators determine this study promising to provide substantial generalizable knowledge and hope that this study results will improve patient care worldwide considerably.

To date, definite depiction of anatomy or pathologies of bony structures requires ionizing radiation by using radiographs or computed tomography (CT) since conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that does not require ionizing radiation cannot depict bony structures well. Modern MR techniques, collectively referred to as ultrashort time to echo (UTE) sequences, have overcome this issue by acquiring the signal data much faster and therefore are able to acquire sufficient MR signal from bony structures. The investigators want to investigate if UTE sequences are capable to depict bony anatomy and pathology similar to imaging examination techniques involving ionizing radiation. Healthy adult and minor participants, as well as adult and minor participants, referred for a clinically indicated MRI involving the skeletal system will be included.

Inclusion criteria:

• adults and minors (all ages) capable of giving informed consent or have a legal representative capable of giving consent on the participant's behalf. Informed Consent as documented by signature (Appendix Informed Consent Form)
• for participants referred for a clinical indicated MRI (primary objective) inclusion criterion is the presence of radiographs or a CT scan of the part of the skeletal system that is under investigation within the clinical indicated MRI
• for healthy volunteers (secondary objective) any volunteer that is not referred for a clinical indicated MRI scan

Exclusion criteria:

• women who are pregnant
• general known contraindications for MRI (e.g., non-MR compatible pacemaker)
• homeless persons, or persons with active drug/alcohol dependence or abuse history