Magnetisation Transfer Contrast of Bone Marrow Oedema in Arthritis

Carole Burnett¹, Jill Halstead-Rastrick², Heidi Siddle, Robert Evans, Anthony Redmond³, Richard Hodgson³

18 patients with arthritis and foot pain were imaged using T2 fat-saturated and SPGR sequences with and without Magnetisation transfer (MT). Regions-of-interest were placed on areas of normal and oedematous bone marrow on the T2 fat-saturated images and transferred to the MT images. MT ratios and the difference between images with and without MT were calculated. Contrast between oedematous and non oedematous bone was calculated. MT ratios and MT differences were significantly higher in oedematous bone. Contrast between oedematous and non oedematous bone was higher with MT. MT may be useful in assessing bone marrow oedema in arthritis.