Jian Zhao1,2, Radu Bolbos1, Sharmila Majumdar1, Thomas Link1, Xiaojuan Li1
1Radiology Department, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; 2Radiology Department, The Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
Bone marrow edema-like lesions (BMEL) has been associated with the severity and progression in osteoarthritis (OA). The goal of this study was to quantitatively assess the spatial relationship between BMEL and the associated cartilage in knee OA using MR T1rho quantification. Twelve OA patients were scanned at 3T at baseline and one-year follow-up. Both T1rho values and WORMS grading were significantly elevated in cartilage overlying BMEL (OC) compared to surrounding cartilage (SC). From baseline to one-year follow-up, T1rho increase in OC were significantly higher than that in SC. This preliminary data suggested BMEL is indicative of accelerated cartilage degeneration.