Comprehensive zonal assessment of meniscal degeneration using quantitative UTE MRI

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Imaging
• Orthopedics
• Radiology

Background:

• Knee menisci have distinct red-red (RR), red-white (RW), and white-white (WW) zones.
• Osteoarthritis (OA) may affect these zones differently, necessitating zone-specific assessment.
• Quantitative imaging aids understanding of OA progression in menisci.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess compositional differences across meniscal zones using ultrashort-echo-time (UTE) MRI.
• To evaluate changes in meniscal zones associated with early OA degeneration.
• To explore the utility of UTE MRI sequences (T1, MT, T1ρ, T2*) for OA assessment.

Main Methods:

• Sixty-two volunteers (46 with OA) underwent UTE MRI.
• Quantified T1, macromolecular fraction (MMF), T1ρ, and T2* in RR, RW, and WW meniscal zones.
• Analyzed 178 meniscal regions across three degeneration grades (1-3).

Main Results:

• Significant zonal compositional differences (UTE measurements) were found in normal menisci.
• These zonal differences decreased with increasing meniscal degeneration.
• T1, T1ρ, and T2* increased, while MMF decreased with degeneration within each zone.

Conclusions:

• UTE MRI measurements can differentiate normal meniscal zonal composition.
• UTE techniques detect early degenerative changes in knee menisci.
• This approach shows promise for comprehensive knee OA assessment and monitoring.