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Ultrashort-echo time MR imaging of the patella with bicomponent analysis: correlation with histopathologic and
Chantal Pauli1, Won C Bae, Michael Lee
1Department of Molecular and Experimental Medicine, the Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA.
Purpose:
To correlate short and long T2* water fractions, derived from ultrashort-echo time (TE) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, with semiquantitative histopathologic and polarized light microscopic (PLM) assessment of human cadaveric patellae cartilage.
Materials And Methods:
Twenty human cadaveric patellae were evaluated by using ultrashort-TE imaging, spin-echo imaging, histopathologic analysis, and PLM, with institutional review board approval. Short and long T2* water components were evaluated for each patella by using bicomponent fitting of ultrashort-TE signal decay. Four to six regions of interest (ROIs) within each patella were chosen for correlation between ultrashort-TE bicomponent analysis, histopathologic grading (Mankin score), and PLM grading (Vaudey score).
Results:
Ultrashort-TE imaging with bicomponent analysis showed two distinct water components with a short T2* and a longer T2* in all patellae. ROI analysis showed that the short T2* fraction was correlated significantly with the Mankin (ρ = 0.66, P < .001) and Vaudey (ρ = 0.68, P < .001) scores. The Mankin scores were weakly positively correlated with T2 (ρ = 0.28, P = .13) and short T2* (ρ = 0.24, P = .14) but were negatively correlated with long T2* (ρ = -0.55, P < .01). The Vaudey scores were weakly positively correlated with T2 (ρ = 0.18, P = .16) and short T2* (ρ = 0.22, P = .14) but were negatively correlated with long T2* (ρ = -0.55, P < .01).
Conclusion:
Short T2* water fraction derived from ultrashort-TE imaging with bicomponent analysis correlates significantly with both the Mankin and Vaudey scores and may serve as a biomarker of cartilage degeneration.
Insights
Short T2* water fraction from ultrashort-echo time (TE) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging shows significant correlation with cartilage degeneration scores. This finding suggests its potential as a biomarker for assessing cartilage health.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Radiology
- Orthopedics
Background:
- Cartilage degeneration is a hallmark of osteoarthritis, necessitating advanced imaging techniques for accurate assessment.
- Current methods for evaluating cartilage health have limitations in sensitivity and specificity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To correlate short and long T2* water fractions from ultrashort-echo time (TE) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging with histopathologic and polarized light microscopy (PLM) assessments of human cadaveric patellar cartilage.
- To investigate the utility of ultrashort-TE MR imaging in quantifying cartilage degeneration.
Main Methods:
- Twenty human cadaveric patellae underwent ultrashort-TE imaging, spin-echo imaging, histopathologic analysis (Mankin score), and PLM (Vaudey score).
- Bicomponent fitting of ultrashort-TE signal decay was used to determine short and long T2* water components.
- Regions of interest (ROIs) were analyzed for correlations between imaging parameters and scoring systems.
Main Results:
- Ultrashort-TE imaging with bicomponent analysis revealed two distinct water components (short and long T2*) in all patellae.
- The short T2* fraction significantly correlated with both Mankin (ρ = 0.66) and Vaudey (ρ = 0.68) scores (P < .001).
- Long T2* showed a significant negative correlation with Mankin (ρ = -0.55) and Vaudey (ρ = -0.55) scores (P < .01).
Conclusions:
- The short T2* water fraction derived from ultrashort-TE MR imaging with bicomponent analysis is a significant correlate of cartilage degeneration.
- This imaging-derived metric shows promise as a non-invasive biomarker for assessing cartilage health and degeneration.
- Ultrashort-TE imaging offers a valuable tool for quantitative assessment of cartilage in clinical and research settings.
