Risto
Ojala1, Antero Saviluoto1, Ilkka Hannila1,
Marianne Haapea1, Osmo Tervonen1,2, Miika T. Nieminen1,3
1Department of Diagnostic Radiology,
Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland; 2Department of Diagnostic
Radiology, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland; 3Department of
Medical Technology, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
Meniscal
tears are known to increase the risk of osteoarthritis (OA). To assess
whether they influence the composition and structure of articular cartilage,
T2 relaxation time of medial weight-bearing tibio-femoral cartilage was
measured and compared between 20 patients with a tear in medial meniscus and
20 asymptomatic controls. A tear in medial meniscus resulted in significantly
longer T2 values in most of the superficial and deep load-bearing medial
femoro-tibial cartilage when compared to controls. T2 mapping may provide a
sensitive tool to detect early signs of OA.