Purpose : The purpose of this study was a phantom study to measure the diffusion properties of water molecules by steady-state free precession diffusion-weighted imaging (SSFP- DWI) with a low b-value and to determine if this sequence might be useful for application to the evaluation of bone marrow pathology. Materials and methods : 1. The phantom study: A phantom study using two diffusion weighted sequences for the evaluation of the diffusion coefficient was performed. Three water-containing cylinders at different temperatures were designed: phantom A was $3^{circ}C$, B was $23^{circ}C$ and C was $63^{circ}C$. Both SSFP and echo planar imaging (EPI) sequences (b-value: $1000s/mm^2$) were performed for comparison of the diffusion properties. The Signal to noise ratios (SNR) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of the three phantoms using each diffusion-weighted sequence were assessed. 2. The Clinical study: SSFP-DWI was performed in 28 patients [sacral insufficiency fractures (10), osteoporotic lumbar compression fractures (10), malignant compression fractures (8)]. To measure the ADC maps, a diffusion-weighted single shot stimulated echo-acquisition mode sequence ($650s/mm^2$) was obtained using the same 1.5-T MR imager Results : For the phantom study, the signal intensity on the SSFP as well as the classic EPI-based DWI was decreased as the temperature increased in phantom A to C. The ADC values of the phantoms on EPI-DWI were $0.13{ imes}10^{-3}mm^2/s$ in phantom A, $0.22{ imes}10^{-3}mm^2/s$ in B and $0.37{ imes}10^{-3}mm^2/s$. in C. The SSFP can be regarded as a DWI sequence in view of the series of signal decreases. Conclusion : Bone marrow pathologies with different diffusion coefficients were evaluated by SSFP-DWI. All benign fractures were hypointense compared to the adjacent normal bone marrow where as the malignant fractures were hyperintense compared to the adjacent normal bone marrow.