Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 7, 2025
In Vivo Quantification of Hip Arthrokinematics during Dynamic Weight-bearing Activities using Dual Fluoroscopy
Published on: July 2, 2021
Development of a technique for MRI gold-standard direct volumetric measurement of complex joint effusion, and
Vanessa Quinn-Laurin1, Geoffrey P Bostick2, Bashiar Thejeel1
1Department of Radiology, University of Alberta Hospital & Stollery Children's Hospital, 2J2.00 WC Mackenzie Health Sciences Centre, University of Alberta, 8440 112 St. NW, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2R7, Canada.
Objective:
Accurate joint fluid quantification on MRI cannot simply rely on measuring the maximum fluid depth or using an ellipsoid approximation as this does not fully characterize the complex shape of a fluid-filled joint. As per the Outcome Measurement in Rheumatology (OMERACT) filter, we sought to evaluate the feasibility, reliability, and validity of a semi-automated supervised technique to quantify hip effusion volume.
Materials And Methods:
Ninety-three hip osteoarthritis patients were imaged with coronal short TI inversion recovery (STIR) and sagittal intermediate weighted fat-suppressed (IWFS) sequences at two time points (Fig. 1). Volumetric quantitative measurement (VQM) of joint fluid and measurement of the largest femoral neck fluid thickness (FTM) was performed using the custom MATLAB software. Self-reported Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) and clinical measures of pain, stiffness, and function were recorded.
Results:
Inter-observer reliability was significantly higher for VQM than FTM (ICC = 0.96 vs. 0.85, p < 0.05). VQM and FTM correlated moderately (r = 0.76, p < 0.0001). There was significantly more articular fluid in symptomatic than asymptomatic hips at baseline (mean = 9.8 vs. 5.9 mL). Volumetric quantitative measurement generally displayed more frequent and stronger correlations to clinical parameters than FTM. Volumetric quantitative measurement required 3.9 min/hip vs. < 1 min/hip for femoral neck fluid thickness.
Conclusion:
Volumetric quantitative measurement of joint effusion can serve as an MRI gold-standard, could apply to other joints and collections, and is highly suited to future automation.
