Abstract #3216

T2 Relaxation Time Reveals Early Cartilage Changes After One-Year & Two-Year Follow-Up in Subjects at Risk for Osteoarthritis: Data from Osteoarthritis Initiative

Annamari Herronen¹, Eveliina Lammentausta², Risto O. Ojala³, Miika T. Nieminen^1,2

¹Department of Medical Technology, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland; ²Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Oulu University Hospital; ³Deaconess Institute of Oulu

T2 relaxation time mapping is a potential biomarker to follow biochemical changes in articular cartilage in OA progression. Forty-one subjects at risk for OA from the incidence cohort of the Osteoarthritis Initiative were studied at baseline, one-year and two-year follow-up. T2 relaxation time in the medial and lateral weight-bearing compartments of the femur was elevated after one and two years as compared to baseline, while the radiography-based KL-score remained zero at each time-point. The present results are very promising in view of predicting OA in subjects at risk for the disease.