Effect of gender on in vivo cartilage magnetic resonance imaging T2 mapping

PURPOSE: To determine if gender is a significant variable for in vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) T2-mapping of knee articular cartilage in young asymptomatic volunteers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cartilage MRI T2 mapping was performed in a young healthy population consisting of seven male and 10 female volunteers, 22 to 29 years of age. High-resolution in vivo T2 maps were obtained of patellar, tibial, and weight-bearing femoral articular cartilage. Spatial dependency of cartilage T2 between groups was evaluated through a comparison of cartilage T2 as a function of normalized distance from bone. RESULTS: Bulk cartilage T2 values were similar at all three anatomic sites, and between male and female volunteers. All volunteers demonstrated similar spatial variation in cartilage MRI T2 values, with a minimum located in the radial zone and increasing T2 values toward the articular surface. There was no difference in spatial dependency of cartilage T2 between males and females. CONCLUSION: In young, healthy volunteers, the magnitude and spatial dependency of cartilage T2 does not differ with gender.