Comparison of T1rho/T2 Imaging at 3 Tesla and 7 Tesla in Knee Cartilage of Healthy Volunteers

Cory Wyatt¹, Xiaojuan Li¹, Roland Krug¹, Douglas A.C. Kelley², Sharmila Majumdar¹

T1rho and T2 relaxation times have been used as markers for matrix changes in articular cartilage and elevated T1rho/T2 values have been associated with the proteoglycan loss in osteoarthritis. While these mechanisms have been studied extensively at 3 Tesla, very few studies have been done at 7 Tesla, particularly for T1rho. In this work, T1rho and T2 values were measured in 10 healthy individuals at 3T and 7T human MRI scanners. Results show a significant decrease in T1rho and T2 values at 7T compared to 3T, which is expected according to theory. The SNR was also increased at 7T.