Ping-Huei Tsai1, Cheng Li2,
Jeremy Magland2, Teng-Yi Huang3, Felix W. Wehrli2,
Hsiao-Wen Chung1
1Graduate Institute of
Biomedical Electronics & Bioinformatics, National Taiwan University,
Taipei, Taiwan; 2Laboratory for Structural NMR Imaging, Department
of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States; 3Department
of Electrical Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science &
Technology, Taipei, Taiwan
The meniscus is critical to maintaining proper mechanical functioning of the knee, and plays a vital role in load distribution. Previous studies have emphasized that the meniscis complex alignment of collagen fibers contributes to the execution of this function. However, assessing the variable orientations of these fibers in vivo is difficult due to their relatively short T2 value and perturbations from spatial variation in magnetic susceptibility. This study used 3D radial imaging with minimal phase excitation and adiabatic fat suppression pulses to obtain adequate SNR to contrast fiber orientations in human menisci. The findings indicated this methodology allows visualization of the fiber structure of the meniscus in vivo.