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Hu Y, Xu J, Zhou R, Xu Q, Sun S, Wang W, Chen H. The value of magnetic resonance ultrashort echo time imaging to evaluate non-calcified cartilage of the knee joint and its damage. Heliyon 2023; 9:e14120. [PMID: 36915568 PMCID: PMC10006742 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2023] [Revised: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Objectives To image knee osteochondral specimens using magnetic resonance (MR) ultrashort echo time imaging with pointwise encoding time reduction with radial acquisition combined fat suppression (PETRA-FS) sequence to determine whether it can reveal non-calcified cartilage, including the deep radial layer, and to assess its effectiveness in cartilage damage diagnosis. Materials and methods PETRA-FS imaging was performed on 58 osteochondral specimens of the lower femur and upper tibia to observe depth of cartilage damage, combined with histological results to observe signal intensity composition. Sensitivity, specificity, and reliability of PETRA-FS sequence for diagnosing cartilage damage were evaluated using histological results as the gold standard. Diagnostic efficacy was assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Results MR ultrashort echo time imaging PETRA-FS sequence showed non-calcified cartilage, including tangential, transitional, and radial layers, which showed a high signal. PETRA-FS sequence showed 37 cases of cartilage damage and 21 cases of no damage among 58 specimens, kappa value of 0.75. Histological analysis of the 58 osteochondral specimens revealed 38 cases of cartilage injury and 20 cases of undamaged cartilage. Using histological results as the gold standard, PETRA-FS sequence had a sensitivity of 87.00%, specificity of 80.00%, kappa value of 0.81, and an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.83 for cartilage injury diagnosis. Conclusion MR ultrashort echo time imaging PETRA-FS sequence can show non-calcified cartilage, including the deep radial layer (which cannot be shown by conventional MR), by exhibiting a high signal in knee osteo-chondral specimens. Thus, PETRA-FS sequences may have important diagnostic value for cartilage injury diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yawen Hu
- Department of Radiology, The Affliated Hospital of Qingdao University Qingdao, 266003, China
| | - Jun Xu
- Department of Radiology, The Affliated Hospital of Qingdao University Qingdao, 266003, China
| | - Ruizhi Zhou
- Department of Radiology, The Affliated Hospital of Qingdao University Qingdao, 266003, China
| | - Qi Xu
- Department of Radiology, The Affliated Hospital of Qingdao University Qingdao, 266003, China
| | - Shiqing Sun
- Department of Radiology, The Affliated Hospital of Qingdao University Qingdao, 266003, China
| | - Wenzhe Wang
- Department of Joint Surgery, The Affliated Hospital of Qingdao University Qingdao, 266003, China
| | - Haisong Chen
- Department of Radiology, The Affliated Hospital of Qingdao University Qingdao, 266003, China
- Corresponding author.
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Lombardi AF, Guma M, Chung CB, Chang EY, Du J, Ma YJ. Ultrashort echo time magnetic resonance imaging of the osteochondral junction. NMR IN BIOMEDICINE 2023; 36:e4843. [PMID: 36264245 PMCID: PMC9845195 DOI: 10.1002/nbm.4843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Revised: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Osteoarthritis is a common chronic degenerative disease that causes pain and disability with increasing incidence worldwide. The osteochondral junction is a dynamic region of the joint that is associated with the early development and progression of osteoarthritis. Despite the substantial advances achieved in the imaging of cartilage and application to osteoarthritis in recent years, the osteochondral junction has received limited attention. This is primarily related to technical limitations encountered with conventional MR sequences that are relatively insensitive to short T2 tissues and the rapid signal decay that characterizes these tissues. MR sequences with ultrashort echo time (UTE) are of great interest because they can provide images of high resolution and contrast in this region. Here, we briefly review the anatomy and function of cartilage, focusing on the osteochondral junction. We also review basic concepts and recent applications of UTE MR sequences focusing on the osteochondral junction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alecio F. Lombardi
- Department of Radiology, University of California San Diego, CA, United States
- Research Service, Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, CA, United States
| | - Monica Guma
- Research Service, Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, CA, United States
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Christine B. Chung
- Department of Radiology, University of California San Diego, CA, United States
- Research Service, Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, CA, United States
| | - Eric Y. Chang
- Department of Radiology, University of California San Diego, CA, United States
- Research Service, Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, CA, United States
| | - Jiang Du
- Department of Radiology, University of California San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Ya-Jun Ma
- Department of Radiology, University of California San Diego, CA, United States
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Armstrong AR, Bhave S, Buko EO, Chase KL, Tóth F, Carlson CS, Ellermann JM, Kim HKW, Johnson CP. Quantitative T2 and T1ρ mapping are sensitive to ischemic injury to the epiphyseal cartilage in an in vivo piglet model of Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease. Osteoarthritis Cartilage 2022; 30:1244-1253. [PMID: 35644462 PMCID: PMC9378508 DOI: 10.1016/j.joca.2022.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Revised: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To determine if the quantitative MRI techniques T2 and T1ρ mapping are sensitive to ischemic injury to epiphyseal cartilage in vivo in a piglet model of Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease using a clinical 3T MRI scanner. We hypothesized that T2 and T1ρ relaxation times would be increased in the epiphyseal cartilage of operated vs contralateral-control femoral heads 1 week following onset of ischemia. DESIGN Unilateral femoral head ischemia was surgically induced in eight piglets. Piglets were imaged 1 week post-operatively in vivo at 3T MRI using a magnetization-prepared 3D fast spin echo sequence for T2 and T1ρ mapping and a 3D gradient echo sequence for cartilage segmentation. Ischemia was confirmed in all piglets using gadolinium contrast-enhanced MRI. Median T2 and T1ρ relaxation times were measured in the epiphyseal cartilage of the ischemic and control femoral heads and compared using paired t-tests. Histological assessment was performed on a subset of five piglets. RESULTS T2 and T1ρ relaxation times were significantly increased in the epiphyseal cartilage of the operated vs control femoral heads (ΔT2 = 11.9 ± 3.7 ms, 95% CI = [8.8, 15.0] ms, P < 0.0001; ΔT1ρ = 12.8 ± 4.1 ms, 95% CI = [9.4, 16.2] ms, P < 0.0001). Histological assessment identified chondronecrosis in the hypertrophic and deep proliferative zones within ischemic epiphyseal cartilage. CONCLUSIONS T2 and T1ρ mapping are sensitive to ischemic injury to the epiphyseal cartilage in vivo at clinical 3T MRI. These techniques may be clinically useful to assess injury and repair to the epiphyseal cartilage to better stage the extent of ischemic damage in Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- A R Armstrong
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA.
| | - S Bhave
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA.
| | - E O Buko
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA; Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
| | - K L Chase
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA.
| | - F Tóth
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA.
| | - C S Carlson
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA.
| | - J M Ellermann
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA; Department of Radiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
| | - H K W Kim
- Center for Excellence in Hip, Scottish Rite for Children, Dallas, TX, USA; Department of Orthopedic Surgery, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
| | - C P Johnson
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA; Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
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Badar F, Xia Y. The interface region between articular cartilage and bone by μMRI and PLM at microscopic resolutions. Microsc Res Tech 2021; 85:1483-1493. [PMID: 34859542 DOI: 10.1002/jemt.24011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Revised: 10/27/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
This dual-modality microscopic imaging study quantifies the interface region between the noncalcified cartilage and the subchondral bone plate, which includes the deep portion of the noncalcified articular cartilage and the zone of calcified cartilage (ZCC). This interface region is typically not visible in routine MRI but becomes visible in MRI with the application of an ultra-short echo time (UTE) sequence. A number of cartilage-bone blocks from a well-documented canine humeral head were harvested for imaging by microscopic MRI (μMRI) and PLM (polarized light microscopy). In μMRI, T2 anisotropic images were acquired by 2D gradient-echo, magnetization-prepared spin-echo and UTE sequences at the 0° and 55° (the magic angle) orientations at 11.7 μm/pixel resolution. In PLM, quantitative optical retardation (nm) and collagen orientation (°) were mapped from the thin sections from the same μMRI specimens at 0.5-2 μm pixel resolutions. The orientational and organizational architecture of the collagen matrix in this interface region was quantified and correlated between the complementary imaging. The magic angle effect as seen in the noncalcified cartilage was statistically confirmed in ZCC in μMRI, which was further supported by quantitative PLM. With an enhanced understanding of the tissue properties in this important interface region, it will potentially be possible to monitor the changes of this tissue region which is instrumental to the initiation and development of osteoarthritis and other joint diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farid Badar
- Department of Physics and Center for Biomedical Research, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, USA
| | - Yang Xia
- Department of Physics and Center for Biomedical Research, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, USA
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Jang H, Ma Y, Carl M, Lombardi AF, Chang EY, Du J. Feasibility of an Inversion Recovery-Prepared Fat-Saturated Zero Echo Time Sequence for High Contrast Imaging of the Osteochondral Junction. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2021; 12:777080. [PMID: 35002964 PMCID: PMC8739813 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2021.777080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 12/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE The osteochondral junction (OCJ) region-commonly defined to include the deep radial uncalcified cartilage, tidemark, calcified cartilage, and subchondral bone plate-functions to absorb mechanical stress and is commonly associated with the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis. However, magnetic resonance imaging of the OCJ region is difficult due to the tissues' short transverse relaxation times (i.e., short T2 or T2*), which result in little or no signal with conventional MRI. The goal of this study is to develop a 3D adiabatic inversion recovery prepared fat saturated zero echo time (IR-FS-ZTE) sequence for high-contrast imaging of the OCJ. METHOD An IR-FS-ZTE MR sequence was developed to image the OCJ on a clinical 3T MRI scanner. The IR-FS-ZTE sequence employed an adiabatic inversion pulse followed by a fat saturation pulse that suppressed signals from the articular cartilage and fat. At an inversion time (TI) that was matched to the nulling point of the articular cartilage, continuous ZTE imaging was performed with a smoothly rotating readout gradient, which enabled time-efficient encoding of the OCJ region's short T2 signal with a minimal echo time (TE) of 12 μs. An ex vivo experiment with six cadaveric knee joints, and an in vivo experiment with six healthy volunteers and three patients with OA were performed to evaluate the feasibility of the proposed approach for high contrast imaging of the OCJ. Contrast-to-noise ratios (CNRs) between the OCJ and its neighboring femoral and tibial cartilage were measured. RESULTS In the ex vivo experiment, IR-FS-ZTE produced improved imaging of the OCJ region over the clinical sequences, and significantly improved the contrast compared to FS-ZTE without IR preparation (p = 0.0022 for tibial cartilage and p = 0.0019 for femoral cartilage with t-test). We also demonstrated the feasibility of high contrast imaging of the OCJ region in vivo using the proposed IR-FS-ZTE sequence, thereby providing more direct information on lesions in the OCJ. Clinical MRI did not detect signal from OCJ due to the long TE (>20 ms). CONCLUSION IR-FS-ZTE allows direct imaging of the OCJ region of the human knee and may help in elucidating the role of the OCJ in cartilage degeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyungseok Jang
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Yajun Ma
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, CA, United States
| | | | - Alecio F. Lombardi
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Eric Y. Chang
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, CA, United States
- Radiology Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Jiang Du
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, CA, United States
- *Correspondence: Jiang Du,
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Cai Z, Wei Z, Wu M, Jerban S, Jang H, Li S, Yuan X, Ma YJ. Knee osteochondral junction imaging using a fast 3D T 1-weighted ultrashort echo time cones sequence at 3T. Magn Reson Imaging 2020; 73:76-83. [PMID: 32828984 DOI: 10.1016/j.mri.2020.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2020] [Revised: 07/24/2020] [Accepted: 08/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The osteochondral junction (OCJ) of the knee joint is comprised of multiple tissue components, including a portion of the deep layer cartilage, calcified cartilage, and subchondral bone. The OCJ is of increasing radiological interest as it may be relevant in the early pathogenesis of osteoarthritis (OA). Due to its short transverse relaxation, the OCJ is invisible to clinical MR sequences. The purpose of this study was to develop a fast 3D T1-weighted ultrashort echo time cones sequence with fat saturation (FS-UTE-Cones) for high resolution and high contrast imaging of the OCJ on a clinical 3T scanner. First, numerical simulations were performed to investigate how the flip angle affected the signal intensities and contrasts of both short and long T1 tissues. The results from these simulations demonstrated that higher short T1 contrast could be achieved with higher flip angle. Next, T1 relaxation was measured for the different layers of a human patellar cartilage sample, and the results showed that the deepest layer had a significantly shorter T1 value than other layers. Finally, a healthy knee joint was scanned with different flip angles and the OCJ was highlighted in the T1-weighted FS-UTE-Cones sequence using a flip angle greater than 20°. The clinical T2-weighted and proton density-weighted FSE sequences were also included for comparison, revealing a dark OCJ region. Representative T1-weighted FS-UTE-Cones images of the whole knee of a healthy volunteer showed high signal intensity bands in the OCJ regions of the patella, femur, and tibia. On the other hand, T1-weighted FS-UTE-Cones imaging of the knee joints of OA patients revealed regions with reduction or loss of these high signal intensity bands in the OCJ regions, indicating abnormal OCJ tissue composition. The proposed 3D T1-weighted FS-UTE-Cones sequence with a 3-min scan time may be very useful for demonstrating the involvement of the OCJ regions in early OA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenyu Cai
- Department of Radiology, Fuwai Hospital Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangdong, China; Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Zhao Wei
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Mei Wu
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Saeed Jerban
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Hyungseok Jang
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Shaolin Li
- Department of Radiology, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangdong, China
| | - Xuchun Yuan
- Department of Radiology, Fuwai Hospital Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangdong, China
| | - Ya-Jun Ma
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA.
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