Tuomas Svrd1, Martti Lakovaara2,
Harri Pakarinen2, Ilkka Kiviranta3, Eveliina
Lammentausta1, Jukka Jurvelin4, Osmo Tervonen1,5,
Risto Ojala1, Miika T. Nieminen1,6
1Department of Diagnostic Radiology,
Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland; 2Department of
Orthopaedic Surgery, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland; 3Department
of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Helsinki University Hospital; 4Department
of Physics, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland; 5Department
of Diagnostic Radiology, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland; 6Department
of Medical Technology, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
The
study aimed to determine the usability of biochemical MRI methods, namely T2
relaxation time mapping and dGEMRIC, for detecting early mechanical and
visually graded cartilage alterations in vivo, as determined by arthroscopic
indentation stiffness measurements and arthroscopic grading, respectively, in
15 subjects. T2 and dGEMRIC values showed a trend with cartilage defect
severity, however, no statistical significance was reached. Further, T2 was
negatively correlated (r≈-0.6, p<0.05) with cartilage stiffness at
several ROIs of the medial compartment. The results suggest that biochemical
MRI measurements may be related to information on the mechanical and
structural integrity of cartilage.