Abstract #3981

Cartilage T2 of the Patella and Focal Knee Abnormalities at 3T in Relation to Physical Activity in Non Symptomatic Subjects from the Incidence Cohort of the Osteoarthritis Initiative

Christoph Stehling^1,2, Hans Liebl¹, Ben Hyun¹, Nancy E. Lane³, Roland Krug¹, Thomas M. Link¹

¹Department of Radiology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; ²Department of Radiology, University of Muenster, Muenster, Germany; ³Department of Medicine, Aging Center, University of California Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA, USA

The aim was to study association of cartilage T2-relaxation-time-measurements, morphological cartilage and meniscus abnormalities using 3T MRI of the knee and physical activity levels obtained in 100 asymptomatic subjects aged 45-55 years from the OAI incidence cohort. Subjects had a very high prevalence of cartilage (79%) and meniscus (46%) lesions. A highly significant correlation between patella T2, severity of cartilage and meniscus lesions and physical activity levels was also found. Patella T2 may be a marker for internal joint derangement. Patients with higher activity levels and high T2 may be at greater risk for cartilage and meniscal abnormalities and for developing OA.