T1ρ MRI quantification of arthroscopically confirmed cartilage degeneration |
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| Authors: | Walter R T Witschey Arijitt Borthakur Matt Fenty Bruce J Kneeland Jess H Lonner Erin L McArdle Matt Sochor Ravinder Reddy |
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| Institution: | 1. Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics Graduate Group, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA;2. Center for Magnetic Resonance and Optical Imaging, Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA;3. Department of Radiology, Pennsylvania Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA;4. Booth Bartolozzi Balderston Orthopaedics, Pennsylvania Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA |
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| Abstract: | Nine asymptomatic subjects and six patients underwent T1ρ MRI to determine whether Outerbridge grade 1 or 2 cartilage degeneration observed during arthroscopy could be detected noninvasively. MRI was performed 2‐3 months postarthroscopy, using sagittal T1‐weighted and axial and coronal T1ρ MRI, from which spatial T1ρ relaxation maps were calculated from segmented T1‐weighted images. Median T1ρ relaxation times of patients with arthroscopically documented cartilage degeneration and asymptomatic subjects were significantly different (P < 0.001), and median T1ρ exceeded asymptomatic articular cartilage median T1ρ by 2.5 to 9.2 ms. In eight observations of mild cartilage degeneration at arthroscopy (Outerbridge grades 1 and 2), mean compartment T1ρ was elevated in five, but in all observations, large foci of increased T1ρ were observed. It was determined that T1ρ could detect some, but not all, Outerbridge grade 1 and 2 cartilage degeneration but that a larger patient population is needed to determine the sensitivity to these changes. Magn Reson Med 63:1376–1382, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc. |
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| Keywords: | cartilage degeneration T1ρ arthroscopy arthritis spin‐lock |
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