Abstract #0058

Thedens D, Brown T, Pedersen D, Martin J

T1rho relaxation is a promising marker for assessing cartilage proteoglycan content in vitro and in vivo. The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of T1rho imaging to detect proteoglycan changes in human cartilage subjected to rigidly controlled and realistic mechanical stresses. A range of mechanical stresses were applied to fresh human cartilage samples in a 12-day regimen, followed by T1rho imaging in a 4.7 T small-bore magnet. The results showed considerable changes in T1rho at the greatest loading levels, suggesting T1rho imaging can detect proteoglycan changes directly resulting from controlled mechanical loading.