Cartilage Imaging: Motivation, Techniques, Current and Future Significance

Overview

Journal Eur Radiol

Specialty Radiology

Date 2006 Nov 10

PMID 17093967

Citations 72

Authors

Thomas M Link

Robert Stahl

Klaus Woertler

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Cartilage repair techniques and pharmacological therapies are currently areas of major clinical interest and research, in particular to prevent and treat osteoarthritis. MR imaging-based techniques to visualize cartilage are prerequisites to guide and monitor these therapies. In this review article, standard MR imaging sequences are described, including proton density-weighted fast spin echo, spoiled gradient echo and dual echo steady state sequences. In addition, new sequences that have been developed and are currently being investigated are presented, including driven equilibrium Fourier transform and steady-state free precession-based imaging. Using high-field MR imaging at 3.0-T, visualization of cartilage and the related pathology has been improved. Volumetric quantitative cartilage MR imaging was developed as a tool to monitor the progression of osteoarthritis and to evaluate new pharmacological cartilage protective therapies. The most exciting developments, however, are in the field of cartilage matrix assessment with quantitative dGEMRIC, T2 and T1rho mapping techniques. These techniques aim at detecting cartilage damage at a stage when changes are potentially still reversible, before cartilage tissue is lost. There is currently substantial interest in these techniques from rheumatologists and orthopedists; radiologists therefore need to keep up with these developments.

Citing Articles

T2-weighted spoiled gradient echo MRI for forensic age estimation: a study on knee growth plates.

Ekizoglu O, Er A, Hocaoglu E, Bozdag M, Grabherr S Int J Legal Med. 2024; 139(1):245-252.

PMID: 39395034 PMC: 11732773. DOI: 10.1007/s00414-024-03345-6.

How Do Cartilage Lubrication Mechanisms Fail in Osteoarthritis? A Comprehensive Review.

Rajankunte Mahadeshwara M, Al-Jawad M, Hall R, Pandit H, El-Gendy R, Bryant M Bioengineering (Basel). 2024; 11(6).

PMID: 38927777 PMC: 11200606. DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering11060541.

Case report: Equine metacarpophalangeal joint partial and full thickness defects treated with allogenic equine synovial membrane mesenchymal stem/stromal cell combined with umbilical cord mesenchymal stem/stromal cell conditioned medium.

Reis I, Lopes B, Sousa P, Sousa A, Rema A, Caseiro A Front Vet Sci. 2024; 11:1403174.

PMID: 38840629 PMC: 11150641. DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1403174.

Impact of Running Exercise on Intervertebral Disc: A Systematic Review.

Shu D, Dai S, Wang J, Meng F, Zhang C, Zhao Z Sports Health. 2024; 16(6):958-970.

PMID: 38204324 PMC: 11531067. DOI: 10.1177/19417381231221125.

MRI overestimates articular cartilage thickness and volume compared to synchrotron radiation phase-contrast imaging.

Bairagi S, Abdollahifar M, Atake O, Dust W, Wiebe S, Belev G PLoS One. 2023; 18(10):e0291757.

PMID: 37788257 PMC: 10547194. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0291757.

References

Trattnig S, Mlynarik V, Breitenseher M, Huber M, Zembsch A, Rand T . MRI visualization of proteoglycan depletion in articular cartilage via intravenous administration of Gd-DTPA. Magn Reson Imaging. 1999; 17(4):577-83. DOI: 10.1016/s0730-725x(98)00215-x. View

Kladny B, Gluckert K, Swoboda B, Beyer W, Weseloh G . Comparison of low-field (0.2 Tesla) and high-field (1.5 Tesla) magnetic resonance imaging of the knee joint. Arch Orthop Trauma Surg. 1995; 114(5):281-6. DOI: 10.1007/BF00452088. View

Imhoff A, Oettl G . Arthroscopic and open techniques for transplantation of osteochondral autografts and allografts in various joints. Surg Technol Int. 2002; 8:249-52. View

Gagliardi J, Chung E, Chandnani V, Kesling K, Christensen K, Null R . Detection and staging of chondromalacia patellae: relative efficacies of conventional MR imaging, MR arthrography, and CT arthrography. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 1994; 163(3):629-36. DOI: 10.2214/ajr.163.3.8079858. View

Hargreaves B, Gold G, Lang P, Conolly S, Pauly J, Bergman G . MR imaging of articular cartilage using driven equilibrium. Magn Reson Med. 1999; 42(4):695-703. DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1522-2594(199910)42:4<695::aid-mrm11>3.0.co;2-z. View

Ruehm S, Zanetti M, Romero J, Hodler J . MRI of patellar articular cartilage: evaluation of an optimized gradient echo sequence (3D-DESS). J Magn Reson Imaging. 1998; 8(6):1246-51. DOI: 10.1002/jmri.1880080611. View

Hargreaves B, Gold G, Beaulieu C, Vasanawala S, Nishimura D, Pauly J . Comparison of new sequences for high-resolution cartilage imaging. Magn Reson Med. 2003; 49(4):700-9. DOI: 10.1002/mrm.10424. View

Bashir A, Gray M, Hartke J, Burstein D . Nondestructive imaging of human cartilage glycosaminoglycan concentration by MRI. Magn Reson Med. 1999; 41(5):857-65. DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1522-2594(199905)41:5<857::aid-mrm1>3.0.co;2-e. View

Volpi N . The pathobiology of osteoarthritis and the rationale for using the chondroitin sulfate for its treatment. Curr Drug Targets Immune Endocr Metabol Disord. 2004; 4(2):119-27. DOI: 10.2174/1568008043339929. View

10.

Fajardo M, Di Cesare P . Disease-modifying therapies for osteoarthritis : current status. Drugs Aging. 2005; 22(2):141-61. DOI: 10.2165/00002512-200522020-00005. View

11.

Link T, Mischung J, Wortler K, Burkart A, Rummeny E, Imhoff A . Normal and pathological MR findings in osteochondral autografts with longitudinal follow-up. Eur Radiol. 2005; 16(1):88-96. DOI: 10.1007/s00330-005-2818-6. View

12.

Williams A, Sharma L, McKenzie C, Prasad P, Burstein D . Delayed gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of cartilage in knee osteoarthritis: findings at different radiographic stages of disease and relationship to malalignment. Arthritis Rheum. 2005; 52(11):3528-35. DOI: 10.1002/art.21388. View

13.

Burgkart R, Glaser C, Hyhlik-Durr A, Englmeier K, Reiser M, Eckstein F . Magnetic resonance imaging-based assessment of cartilage loss in severe osteoarthritis: accuracy, precision, and diagnostic value. Arthritis Rheum. 2001; 44(9):2072-7. DOI: 10.1002/1529-0131(200109)44:9<2072::AID-ART357>3.0.CO;2-3. View

14.

Dardzinski B, Mosher T, Li S, Van Slyke M, Smith M . Spatial variation of T2 in human articular cartilage. Radiology. 1997; 205(2):546-50. DOI: 10.1148/radiology.205.2.9356643. View

15.

Filidoro L, Dietrich O, Weber J, Rauch E, Oerther T, Wick M . High-resolution diffusion tensor imaging of human patellar cartilage: feasibility and preliminary findings. Magn Reson Med. 2005; 53(5):993-8. DOI: 10.1002/mrm.20469. View

16.

Williams A, Gillis A, McKenzie C, Po B, Sharma L, Micheli L . Glycosaminoglycan distribution in cartilage as determined by delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of cartilage (dGEMRIC): potential clinical applications. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2003; 182(1):167-72. DOI: 10.2214/ajr.182.1.1820167. View

17.

Blumenkrantz G, Lindsey C, Dunn T, Jin H, Ries M, Link T . A pilot, two-year longitudinal study of the interrelationship between trabecular bone and articular cartilage in the osteoarthritic knee. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2004; 12(12):997-1005. DOI: 10.1016/j.joca.2004.09.001. View

18.

Stammberger T, Eckstein F, Michaelis M, Englmeier K, Reiser M . Interobserver reproducibility of quantitative cartilage measurements: comparison of B-spline snakes and manual segmentation. Magn Reson Imaging. 1999; 17(7):1033-42. DOI: 10.1016/s0730-725x(99)00040-5. View

19.

Eckstein F, Heudorfer L, Faber S, Burgkart R, Englmeier K, Reiser M . Long-term and resegmentation precision of quantitative cartilage MR imaging (qMRI). Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2002; 10(12):922-8. DOI: 10.1053/joca.2002.0844. View

20.

Gold G, Suh B, Sawyer-Glover A, Beaulieu C . Musculoskeletal MRI at 3.0 T: initial clinical experience. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2004; 183(5):1479-86. DOI: 10.2214/ajr.183.5.1831479. View