[Magnetic resonance imaging of repair cartilage]

In recent years, several MR imaging techniques that enable detailed morphological and qualitative evaluations of repair cartilage have been developed. We perform fat-suppressed three-dimensional spoiled gradient-recalled (3D-SPGR) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and delayed gadolinium-enhanced MR imaging of cartilage (dGEMRIC) for the evaluation of repair cartilage. Evaluation of the time course changes in signal intensity of repair cartilage by use of 3D-SPGR MR imaging was thought to be useful for the assessment of histological change in repair cartilage. Moreover, evaluation of the glycosaminoglycan concentration in repair cartilage by use of dGEMRIC was thought to be useful to assess the quality and function of repair cartilage. These new MR imaging techniques may be useful for evaluating repair cartilage and for assessing the treatment effect and the long-term durability of repair cartilage.