Assessing the Feasibility of Simplifying the Scanning Protocol for Spinal Metastases With Vertebral Compression Fractures Using Only the Dixon T2-Weighted Sequence.

Objective: Conventional imaging protocols, including sagittal T1-weighted imaging (T1WI) and water-only T2-weighted imaging (T2WI), are time consuming when screening for spinal metastases with vertebral compression fractures (VCFs). In this study, we aimed to assess the accuracy of using only the Dixon T2-weighted sequence in the diagnosis of spinal metastases with VCFs to determine its suitability as a simplified protocol for this task.

Methods: This retrospective study included 27 patients diagnosed with spinal metastases and VCFs. Qualitative analysis was performed separately by two musculoskeletal radiologists, who independently performed diagnostic evaluations of each vertebra using both conventional and simplified protocols. McNemar's test was then used to compare the differences in diagnostic results, and Cohen's kappa coefficient was used to assess interobserver and interprotocol agreement. Diagnostic performance values for both protocols, including sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve, were then determined based on the reference standard. Quantitative image analysis was performed randomly for 30 metastases on T1WI and fat-only T2WI to measure the signal intensity, signal-to-noise ratio, and contrast-to-noise ratio.

Results: The diagnosis of VCFs by both radiologists was in full agreement with the reference standard. The classification of spinal metastases and diagnostic performance values determined by both radiologists were not significantly different between the two protocols (all P > 0.05), and the consistency between observers and protocols was excellent (κ = 0.973-0.991). The contrast-to-noise ratio of fat-only T2WI was significantly higher than that of T1WI ( P < 0.001).

Conclusions: The Dixon T2-weighted sequence alone performed well in diagnosing spinal metastases with VCFs, performing no worse than the conventional protocol (T1WI and water-only T2WI). This suggests that the Dixon T2-weighted sequence alone can serve as a simplified protocol for the diagnosis of spinal metastases with VCFs, thereby avoiding the need for more intricate scanning procedures.