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T 2 relaxation time measurements are limited in monitoring progression, once advanced cartilage defects at the knee occur: Longitudinal data from the osteoarthritis initiative
Author(s) -
Jungmann Pia M.,
Kraus Mareen S.,
Nardo Lorenzo,
Liebl Hans,
Alizai Hamza,
Joseph Gabby B.,
Liu Felix,
Lynch John,
McCulloch Chuck E.,
Nevitt Michael C.,
Link Thomas M.
Publication year - 2013
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.24137
Subject(s) - cartilage , osteoarthritis , medicine , patella , condyle , cartilage damage , tibia , knee cartilage , anatomy , pathology , articular cartilage , alternative medicine
Purpose To study the natural evolution of cartilage T 2 relaxation times in knees with various extents of morphological cartilage abnormalities, assessed with 3 Tesla MRI from the Osteoarthritis Initiative. Materials and Methods Right knee MRIs of 245, 45‐ to 60‐year‐old individuals without radiographic osteoarthritis (OA) were included. Cartilage was segmented and T 2 maps were generated in five compartments (patella, medial and lateral femoral condyle, medial, and lateral tibia) at baseline and 2‐year follow‐up. We examined the association of T 2 values and 2‐year change of T 2 values with various Whole‐Organ MR Imaging Scores (WORMS). Statistical analysis was performed with analysis of variance and Students t‐tests. Results Higher baseline T 2 was associated with more severe cartilage defects at baseline and subsequent cartilage loss ( P < 0.001). However, longitudinal T 2 change was inversely associated with both baseline ( P = 0.038) and follow‐up ( P = 0.002) severity of cartilage defects. Knees that developed new cartilage defects had smaller increases in T 2 than subjects without defects ( P = 0.045). Individuals with higher baseline T 2 showed smaller T 2 increases over time ( P < 0.001). Conclusion An inverse correlation of longitudinal T 2 changes versus baseline T 2 values and morphological cartilage abnormalities suggests that once morphological cartilage defects occur, T 2 values may be limited for evaluating further cartilage degradation. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2013;38:1415–1424. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.