Magnetic resonance imaging of normal bone marrow.

The appearance in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the bones depends, to a large extent, on the unmineralized content of the bone cavities. Because yellow marrow contains a large number of fat protons and red marrow a significant number of water protons, MRI offers the opportunity to map the distribution of red and yellow marrow. In addition, red marrow MR appearance varies according to the relative proportion of fat and nonfat cells. Variations in the composition of red marrow and its distribution among normal subjects, mainly in relation to age and sex, contribute to creating a wide spectrum in bone MR appearance, which must be known in order to avoid confusion with bone marrow abnormalities.