Time-saving opportunities in knee osteoarthritis: T₂ mapping and structural imaging of the knee using a single 5-min...

To assess the discriminative power of a 5-min quantitative double-echo steady-state (qDESS) sequence for simultaneous T₂ measurements of cartilage and meniscus, and structural knee osteoarthritis (OA) assessment, in a clinical OA population, using radiographic knee OA as reference standard.

Fifty-three subjects were included and divided over three groups based on radiographic and clinical knee OA: 20 subjects with no OA (Kellgren-Lawrence grade (KLG) 0), 18 with mild OA (KLG2), and 15 with moderate OA (KLG3). All patients underwent a 5-min qDESS scan. We measured T₂ relaxation times in four cartilage and four meniscus regions of interest (ROIs) and performed structural OA evaluation with the MRI Osteoarthritis Knee Score (MOAKS) using qDESS with multiplanar reformatting. Between-group differences in T₂ values and MOAKS were calculated using ANOVA. Correlations of the reference standard (i.e., radiographic knee OA) with T₂ and MOAKS were assessed with correlation analyses for ordinal variables.

In cartilage, mean T₂ values were 36.1 ± SD 4.3, 40.6 ± 5.9, and 47.1 ± 4.3 ms for no, mild, and moderate OA, respectively (p < 0.001). In menisci, mean T₂ values were 15 ± 3.6, 17.5 ± 3.8, and 20.6 ± 4.7 ms for no, mild, and moderate OA, respectively (p < 0.001). Statistically significant correlations were found between radiographic OA and T₂ and between radiographic OA and MOAKS in all ROIs (p < 0.05).

Quantitative T₂ and structural assessment of cartilage and meniscus, using a single 5-min qDESS scan, can distinguish between different grades of radiographic OA, demonstrating the potential of qDESS as an efficient tool for OA imaging.

• Quantitative T₂values of cartilage and meniscus as well as structural assessment of the knee with a single 5-min quantitative double-echo steady-state (qDESS) scan can distinguish between different grades of knee osteoarthritis (OA). • Quantitative and structural qDESS-based measurements correlate significantly with the reference standard, radiographic degree of OA, for all cartilage and meniscus regions. • By providing quantitative measurements and diagnostic image quality in one rapid MRI scan, qDESS has great potential for application in large-scale clinical trials in knee OA.