T2 mapping of articular cartilage of the glenohumeral joint at 3.0 T in healthy volunteers: a feasibility study

Detection and Quantitative Assessment of Arthroscopically Proven Long Biceps Tendon Pathologies Using T2 Mapping

This study evaluates how far T2 mapping can identify arthroscopically confirmed pathologies in the long biceps tendon (LBT) and quantify the T2 values in healthy and pathological tendon substance. This study comprised eighteen patients experiencing serious shoulder discomfort, all of whom underwent magnetic resonance imaging, including T2 mapping sequences, followed by shoulder joint arthroscopy. Regions of interest were meticulously positioned on their respective T2 maps, capturing the sulcal portion of the LBT and allowing for the quantification of the average T2 values. Subsequent analyses included the calculation of diagnostic cut-off values, sensitivities, and specificities for the detection of tendon pathologies, and the calculation of inter-reader correlation coefficients (ICCs) involving two independent radiologists. The average T2 value for healthy subjects was measured at 23.3 ± 4.6 ms, while patients with tendinopathy displayed a markedly higher value, at 47.9 ± 7.8 ms. Of note, the maximum T2 value identified in healthy tendons (29.6 ms) proved to be lower than the minimal value measured in pathological tendons (33.8 ms), resulting in a sensitivity and specificity of 100% (95% confidence interval 63.1-100) across all cut-off values ranging from 29.6 to 33.8 ms. The ICCs were found to range from 0.93 to 0.99. In conclusion, T2 mapping is able to assess and quantify healthy LBTs and can distinguish them from tendon pathology. T2 mapping may provide information on the (ultra-)structural integrity of tendinous tissue, facilitating early diagnosis, prompt therapeutic intervention, and quantitative monitoring after conservative or surgical treatments of LBT.

3-Tesla T2 Mapping Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Evaluation of SLAP Lesions in Patients with Shoulder Pain: An Arthroscopy-Controlled Study

This study investigated the ability of T2 mapping to assess the glenoid labrum and to differentiate between healthy labral substances and superior labral anterior posterior (SLAP) lesions using arthroscopy as the gold standard. Eighteen patients (mean age: 52.4 ± 14.72 years, 12 men) with shoulder pain were examined using 3-Tesla T2 mapping. All the patients underwent shoulder arthroscopy. Using morphological sequences for correlation, regions of interest covering the entire labral substance were placed in the corresponding T2 maps. The diagnostic cutoff values, sensitivities, and specificities, as well as the inter-reader correlation coefficients (ICCs) determined by two independent radiologists, were calculated. The mean T2 value was 20.8 ± 2.4 ms for the healthy labral substances and 37.7 ± 10.63 ms in the patients with SLAP lesions. The maximum T2 value in normal labrum (21.2 ms) was lower than the minimum T2 value in the patients with SLAP lesions (27.8 ms), leading to sensitivities, specificities, and positive and negative predictive values of 100% (95% CI 54.1-100.0) for all the cutoff values between 21.2 and 27.8 ms. The ICCs ranged from 0.91 to 0.99. In summary, the data suggest that evaluation and quantification of the labral (ultra)structural integrity using T2 mapping may allow discrimination between arthroscopically confirmed SLAP lesions and a healthy glenoid labrum. T2 mapping may therefore be helpful in diagnosing patients with suspected labral damage.

Quantitative T2 mapping of the glenohumeral joint cartilage in asymptomatic shoulders and shoulders with increasing severity of rotator cuff pathology

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Glenohumeral cartilage T2 values were correlated to increasing rotator cuff pathology severity.

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Massive tear versus lesser injury differences were most evident in superior humeral cartilage.

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Sagittal T2 mapping best captures superior humeral head cartilage change in massive tear patients.

Purpose

To examine the relationship between glenohumeral cartilage T2 mapping values and rotator cuff pathology.

Method

Fifty-nine subjects (age 48.2 ± 13.5 years, 15 asymptomatic volunteers and 10 tendinosis, 13 partial-thickness tear, 8 full-thickness tear, and 13 massive tear patients) underwent glenohumeral cartilage T2 mapping. The humeral head cartilage was segmented in the sagittal and coronal planes. The glenoid cartilage was segmented in the coronal plane. Group means for each region were calculated and compared between the groups.

Results

Massive tear group T2 values were significantly higher than the asymptomatic group values for the humeral head cartilage included in the sagittal (45 ± 7 versus 32 ± 4 ms, p <  .001) and coronal (44 ± 6 versus 38 ± 1 ms, p =  0.01) plane images. Mean T2 was also significantly higher for massive than full-thickness tears (45 ± 7 versus 38 ± 5 ms, p =  0.02), massive than partial-thickness tears (45 ± 7 versus 34 ± 4 ms, p <  0.001), and massive tears than tendinosis (45 ± 7 versus 35 ± 4 ms, p =  0.001) in the sagittal-images humeral head region and significantly higher for massive tears than asymptomatic shoulders (44 ± 6 versus 38 ± 1 ms, p =  0.01) in the coronal-images humeral head region.

Conclusion

Humeral head cartilage T2 values were significantly positively correlated with rotator cuff pathology severity. Massive rotator cuff tear patients demonstrated significantly higher superior humeral head cartilage T2 mapping values relative to subjects with no/lesser degrees of rotator cuff pathology.

Quantitative T2 mapping of glenohumeral joint osteoarthritis: a case-control study

Background

T2 relaxometry is a highly sensitive technique used to assess morphological changes in the cartilage prior to anatomical changes; it provides the quantification of the disparate components of cartilage such as water, proteoglycans, and collagen. This study aims to assess T2 values of glenohumeral joint cartilage using 1.5 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and comparing T2 relaxation time values between two groups—the control group and the group of patients with osteoarthritis (OA). The study was conducted among 35 OA patients (27 females and eight males; median age, 60 years; age range, 43–69 years). This group was divided into primary OA (n = 15) and secondary OA (n = 20). The control group had 30 patients (25 females and five males; median age, 46 years; age range, 30–56 years). All patients were assessed using plain radiography to determine the grade of osteoarthritis followed by a multi-echo spin pulse sequence (T2 mapping) of the coronal plane. Three areas were considered to evaluate the cartilage-humeral zone, glenoid zone, and central zones by manually drawing the region of interest (ROI). The values were compared statistically by using Mann-Whitney U tests.

Results

Median T2 values differed significantly between the control group (43.4 ms [interquartile ranges, 41.54-45.33 ms]) and the OA patients for grades I (59.2 ms [interquartile ranges, 57.54-63.33 ms]), II (64.7 ms [interquartile ranges, 62.54-67.39 ms]), and III (61.9 ms, [interquartile ranges, 57.54-64.53 ms]). Mean T2 values were significantly higher in the different zones when comparing the OA patients whatever the cause primary or secondary (p value < 0.05) with the control group; no significant difference was noticed between the primary and secondary OA (p value > 0.05).

Conclusion

T2 relaxometry is a reliable, quantitative method for the assessment of the glenohumeral cartilage for significant differences in T2 values between the control group and the OA patients.

3-T T2 mapping magnetic resonance imaging for biochemical assessment of normal and damaged glenoid cartilage: a prospective arthroscopy-controlled study

This study evaluated the ability of T2 mapping to assess the glenoid cartilage using arthroscopy as the gold standard. Eighteen consecutive patients (mean age: 52.4 ± 14.72 years, including 12 men) with shoulder pain underwent T2 mapping at 3-T with subsequent shoulder arthroscopy. With correlation to cartilage-sensitive morphologic sequences regions-of-interest were placed in the corresponding T2 maps both in normal-appearing cartilage and focal cartilage lesions using a quadrant-wise approach. Inter-reader and intra-reader correlation coefficients (ICCs) between two independent radiologists as well as cut-off values with their sensitivities/specificities for the detection of cartilage damage were calculated. The mean T2 value for healthy cartilage was 23.0 ± 3 ms with significantly higher values in the superior quadrants compared to the inferior quadrants (p < 0.0001). In 5 patients with focal cartilage damage significantly higher T2 values of 44.7 ± 3.7 ms (P < 0.01) were observed. The maximum T2 value in normal cartilage (27.3 ms) was lower than the minimum value in damaged cartilage (40.8 ms) resulting in perfect sensitivities/specificities of 100% (95% confidence-interval 47.8-100.0) for all cut-off values between 27.3-40.8 ms. ICCs ranged between 0.63 and 0.99. In conclusion, T2 mapping can evaluate biochemical cartilage integrity and discriminates arthroscopy-proven healthy and damaged glenoid cartilage with high diagnostic performance.

Quantitative mapping of glenohumeral cartilage in asymptomatic subjects using 3 T magnetic resonance imaging

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to develop quantitative T2 mapping methodology in asymptomatic shoulders for the entire mappable region of the glenohumeral cartilage in the coronal and sagittal planes, to assess the feasibility and limitations of the development of a diagnostic tool for future application in symptomatic patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Twenty-one asymptomatic volunteers underwent sagittal and coronal glenohumeral T2 mapping, as the spherical geometry of the humeral head obviates the need to evaluate the entire glenohumeral cartilage in a single plane. The humeral head cartilage orthogonal to the mapping plane was manually segmented in the sagittal and coronal planes, whereas the glenoid cartilage was segmented in the coronal plane. Cartilage T2 summary statistics were calculated and coverage in each mapping plane was qualitatively assessed.

RESULTS

The mean ± standard deviation of the glenoid cartilage T2 was 38 ± 2 ms. The coronal and sagittal mapping planes captured different regions of the humeral head with some overlap: inferior-medial to superior-lateral versus superior/superior-lateral to anterior-lateral and posterior-lateral respectively. The mean humeral head cartilage T2 in the coronal plane was 41 ± 3 ms, which was significantly different (p < 0.05) from the sagittal plane mean of 34 ± 2 ms.

CONCLUSION

This study measured characteristic glenoid and humeral head cartilage T2 values over the area mappable with two planes. Importantly, this study demonstrated that two-dimensional mapping in a single plane or two combined planes cannot capture the entirety of the semi-spherical humeral head cartilage. This highlights the need for three-dimensional T2 mapping techniques in the shoulder.

Bone grafts used for arthroscopic glenoid reconstruction restore the native glenoid anatomy

PURPOSE

Recurrent anterior instability of the glenohumeral joint is a demanding condition, especially in cases of glenoid bone loss. Various treatment options have been described, such as arthroscopic grafting techniques and the Latarjet procedure. In this study, the degree to which an arthroscopically applied iliac crest graft restores the glenoid anatomy was evalutated.

METHODS

Nine patients (three women and six men) with an average age of 31 ± 9 years (21-46 years) who were treated with an arthroscopic iliac crest graft technique were included in this study. After a mean follow up of 34 ± 10 months (19-50 months) after the procedure, MRI scans of both shoulders were performed and the glenoid width, Glenoid Index (GI), Pixel Signal intensity (PSI), thickness of the tissue covering the articular aspect of the graft, inclination, version, concavity and balance stability angle were measured.

RESULTS

All scans showed the cultivation of tissue on the graft, which visually resembled the cartilage of the native ipsilateral glenoid. Additionally, reshaping of the graft to repair the glenoid configuration could be observed. Glenoid width (p = 0.022) and GI (p < 0.001) increased significantly through surgery. The tissue examined on the graft showed a significant pixel intensity gap (p = 0.017) but comparable thickness (n.s.) in relation to native cartilage. The remaining parameters did not differ significantly between both shoulders.

CONCLUSION

In the cohort presented, iliac crest grafts were able to restore the glenoid configuration, and the glenoid was re-shaped to its native contour. Additionally, cartilage-like scar tissue with similar thickness as healthy cartilage was formed on the articular side of the graft. These results suggest that glenoid reconstruction is not only important for prevention of recurrence, but also for restoration of the native glenoid anatomy.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level III-retrospective cohort study.