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MR imaging of articular cartilage: current state and recent developments
Philipp Lang1, Farimah Noorbakhsh, Hiroshi Yoshioka
1Division of Musculoskeletal Radiology, Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA. pklang@partners.org
Radiologic Clinics of North America
|May 17, 2005
Summary
Osteoarthritis, a common cause of pain, is being treated with new surgical options. Magnetic Resonance (MR) imaging is crucial for visualizing articular cartilage changes and detecting damage like thinning.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedics and Sports Medicine
- Radiology and Medical Imaging
Background:
- Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent form of arthritis, leading to significant pain and functional disability.
- Recent advancements in surgical treatments for OA include autologous chondrocyte transplantation and osteochondral grafting (allografts or autografts).
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the role of Magnetic Resonance (MR) imaging in the evaluation of articular cartilage.
- To discuss the diagnostic capabilities of MR imaging in identifying cartilage abnormalities relevant to osteoarthritis.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing MR imaging to directly visualize articular cartilage.
- Analyzing MR imaging for signal and morphological changes indicative of cartilage damage.
Main Results:
- MR imaging can detect subtle signal alterations within the articular cartilage.
- Morphological changes such as surface fraying, fissuring, and cartilage thinning are identifiable via MR imaging.
Conclusions:
- MR imaging is a valuable non-invasive tool for assessing articular cartilage in the context of osteoarthritis.
- The technique aids in the detection and characterization of cartilage pathologies, informing treatment decisions.