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Quantification of T 2 relaxation changes in articular cartilage with in situ mechanical loading of the knee
Author(s) -
Nag David,
Liney Gary P.,
Gillespie Paul,
Sherman Kevin P.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
journal of magnetic resonance imaging
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.563
H-Index - 160
eISSN - 1522-2586
pISSN - 1053-1807
DOI - 10.1002/jmri.20000
Subject(s) - knee cartilage , in situ , biomedical engineering , cartilage , compression (physics) , knee joint , materials science , articular cartilage , magnetic resonance imaging , t2 relaxation , nuclear medicine , anatomy , osteoarthritis , medicine , radiology , chemistry , surgery , pathology , composite material , alternative medicine , organic chemistry
Purpose To devise a method for producing in vivo MRI images of the knee under physiologically significant loading, and to compare and evaluate the changes in cartilage characteristics before and during in situ compression of the knee. Material and Methods A total of 26 asymptomatic subjects were imaged on a 1.5 Tesla Philips Intera scanner using a commercially available knee coil. Routine anatomical images were followed by T 2 map acquisition. These scans were repeated following in situ compression of the knee using a MR compatible loading jig. Results Following loading to body weight, several regions of femoral cartilage show early alteration of T 2 relaxation time, most significantly in the medial and lateral peripheral zones. There were no significant changes in the tibial cartilage. Conclusions The results establish the feasibility of measuring changes on MRI with in situ axial loading. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2004;19:317–322. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.