Ashley Williams1, Yongxian Qian2, Constance R. Chu1
1Cartilage Restoration Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States; 2Magnetic Resonance Research Center, University of Pittsburgh
UTE-T2* mapping is sensitive to short-T2 signals and therefore has the potential to provide prognostic indication of otherwise clinically occult knee osteoarthritis in deep articular cartilage. UTE-T2* maps were evaluated in 53 human subjects. Significant elevations of UTE-T2* values in deep femoral condylar cartilage of subjects with ACL and/or meniscal injury without clinical evidence of subsurface cartilage abnormality suggest that UTE-T2* mapping is sensitive to sub-clinical cartilage degeneration. Significant decreases in UTE-T2* values measured longitudinally over 12 months following ACL reconstruction suggest that UTE-T2* can be used to quantitatively monitor changes to cartilage status in response to therapeutic interventions.