Matthew F. Koff1,
Lisa A. Fortier2, Scott A. Rodeo3, Atsushi Takahashi4,
Suzanne Maher5, Demetris Delos3, Parina Shah1,
Hollis G. Potter1
1Department of
Radiology & Imaging - MRI, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY,
USA; 2College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca,
NY, USA; 3Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Hospital for Special
Surgery, New York, NY, USA; 4Global Applied Science Laboratory,
General Electric Healthcare, Menlo Park, CA, USA; 5Department of
Biomechanics, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY, USA
The poor sensitivity and qualitative nature of clinical knee meniscus healing evaluation precludes accurate decisions about return to activities of daily living. MRI is frequently used to evaluate meniscal repairs, but visualization of the meniscus is difficult due to short transverse relaxation times (T2). Qualitative MRI Ultrashort echo imaging (UTE) allows objective and quantitative assessment of meniscal healing. This study evaluated the qMRI technique of T2* mapping using UTE imaging as a biomarker of meniscal integrity. This goal was achieved by measuring the regional and temporal variation in T2* values in an ovine meniscal repair model.
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