3D Grating-based X-ray Phase-contrast Computed Tomography for High-resolution Quantitative Assessment of Cartilage: An Experimental Feasibility Study with 3T MRI, 7T MRI and Biomechanical Correlation

Overview

Journal PLoS One

Specialties General Medicine
Science

Date 2019 Feb 15

PMID 30763375

Citations 4

Authors

Julia Herzen

Dimitrios C Karampinos

Peter Foehr

Lorenz Birnbacher

Manuel Viermetz

Rainer Burgkart

Thomas Baum

Fabian Lohoefer

Moritz Wildgruber

Franz Schilling

Marian Willner

Mathias Marschner

Peter B Noel

Ernst J Rummeny

Franz Pfeiffer

Pia M Jungmann

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: Aim of this study was, to demonstrate the feasibility of high-resolution grating-based X-ray phase-contrast computed tomography (PCCT) for quantitative assessment of cartilage.

Materials And Methods: In an experimental setup, 12 osteochondral samples were harvested from n = 6 bovine knees (n = 2 each). From each knee, one cartilage sample was degraded using 2.5% Trypsin. In addition to PCCT and biomechanical cartilage stiffness measurements, 3T and 7T MRI was performed including MSME SE T2 and ME GE T2* mapping sequences for relaxationtime measurements. Paired t-tests and receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves were used for statistical analyses.

Results: PCCT provided high-resolution images for improved morphological cartilage evaluation as compared to 3T and 7T MRI. Quantitative analyses revealed significant differences between the superficial and the deep cartilage layer for T2 mapping as well as for PCCT (P<0.05). No significant difference was detected for PCCT between healthy and degraded samples (P>0.05). MRI and stiffness measurements showed significant differences between healthy and degraded osteochondral samples. Accuracy in the prediction of cartilage degradation was excellent for MRI and biomechanical analyses.

Conclusion: In conclusion, high-resolution grating-based X-ray PCCT cartilage imaging is feasible. In addition to MRI and biomechanical analyses it provides complementary, water content independent, information for improved morphological and quantitative characterization of articular cartilage ultrastructure.

Citing Articles

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.

Quantitative Ultrasound Assessment of Early Osteoarthritis in Human Articular Cartilage Using a High-Frequency Linear Array Transducer.

Lye T, Gachouch O, Renner L, Elezkurtaj S, Cash H, Messroghli D Ultrasound Med Biol. 2022; 48(8):1429-1440.

PMID: 35537895 PMC: 9246887. DOI: 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2022.03.006.

Connecting structure and function from organisms to molecules in small-animal symbioses through chemo-histo-tomography.

Geier B, Oetjen J, Ruthensteiner B, Polikarpov M, Gruber-Vodicka H, Liebeke M Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021; 118(27).

PMID: 34183413 PMC: 8300811. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2023773118.

Quantitative X-ray phase contrast computed tomography with grating interferometry : Biomedical applications of quantitative X-ray grating-based phase contrast computed tomography.

Birnbacher L, Braig E, Pfeiffer D, Pfeiffer F, Herzen J Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2021; 48(13):4171-4188.

PMID: 33846846 PMC: 8566444. DOI: 10.1007/s00259-021-05259-6.

References

Borthakur A, Mellon E, Niyogi S, Witschey W, Kneeland J, Reddy R . Sodium and T1rho MRI for molecular and diagnostic imaging of articular cartilage. NMR Biomed. 2006; 19(7):781-821. PMC: 2896046. DOI: 10.1002/nbm.1102. View

Herzen J, Willner M, Fingerle A, Noel P, Kohler T, Drecoll E . Imaging liver lesions using grating-based phase-contrast computed tomography with bi-lateral filter post-processing. PLoS One. 2014; 9(1):e83369. PMC: 3894935. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0083369. View

Momose A, Yashiro W, Maikusa H, Takeda Y . High-speed X-ray phase imaging and X-ray phase tomography with Talbot interferometer and white synchrotron radiation. Opt Express. 2009; 17(15):12540-5. DOI: 10.1364/oe.17.012540. View

Lammentausta E, Kiviranta P, Nissi M, Laasanen M, Kiviranta I, Nieminen M . T2 relaxation time and delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of cartilage (dGEMRIC) of human patellar cartilage at 1.5 T and 9.4 T: Relationships with tissue mechanical properties. J Orthop Res. 2006; 24(3):366-74. DOI: 10.1002/jor.20041. View

Hahn D, Thibault P, Fehringer A, Bech M, Koehler T, Pfeiffer F . Statistical iterative reconstruction algorithm for X-ray phase-contrast CT. Sci Rep. 2015; 5:10452. PMC: 4464273. DOI: 10.1038/srep10452. View

Willner M, Herzen J, Grandl S, Auweter S, Mayr D, Hipp A . Quantitative breast tissue characterization using grating-based x-ray phase-contrast imaging. Phys Med Biol. 2014; 59(7):1557-71. DOI: 10.1088/0031-9155/59/7/1557. View

Buettner O, Leumann A, Lehner R, Dell-Kuster S, Rosenthal R, Mueller-Gerbl M . Histomorphometric, CT arthrographic, and biomechanical mapping of the human ankle. Foot Ankle Int. 2013; 34(7):1025-34. DOI: 10.1177/1071100713477636. View

Jungmann P, Liu F, Link T . What has imaging contributed to the epidemiological understanding of osteoarthritis?. Skeletal Radiol. 2013; 43(3):271-5. PMC: 3925496. DOI: 10.1007/s00256-013-1783-4. View

Donath T, Pfeiffer F, Bunk O, Grunzweig C, Hempel E, Popescu S . Toward clinical X-ray phase-contrast CT: demonstration of enhanced soft-tissue contrast in human specimen. Invest Radiol. 2010; 45(7):445-52. DOI: 10.1097/RLI.0b013e3181e21866. View

10.

Juras V, Bittsansky M, Majdisova Z, Szomolanyi P, Sulzbacher I, Gabler S . In vitro determination of biomechanical properties of human articular cartilage in osteoarthritis using multi-parametric MRI. J Magn Reson. 2008; 197(1):40-7. DOI: 10.1016/j.jmr.2008.11.019. View

11.

Willner M, Fior G, Marschner M, Birnbacher L, Schock J, Braun C . Phase-Contrast Hounsfield Units of Fixated and Non-Fixated Soft-Tissue Samples. PLoS One. 2015; 10(8):e0137016. PMC: 4556454. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0137016. View

12.

Liebl H, Joseph G, Nevitt M, Singh N, Heilmeier U, Subburaj K . Early T2 changes predict onset of radiographic knee osteoarthritis: data from the osteoarthritis initiative. Ann Rheum Dis. 2014; 74(7):1353-9. PMC: 4160419. DOI: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2013-204157. View

13.

Birnbacher L, Willner M, Velroyen A, Marschner M, Hipp A, Meiser J . Experimental Realisation of High-sensitivity Laboratory X-ray Grating-based Phase-contrast Computed Tomography. Sci Rep. 2016; 6:24022. PMC: 4819174. DOI: 10.1038/srep24022. View

14.

Nagashima M, Tanaka J, Kiyohara J, Makifuchi C, Kido K, Momose A . Application of X-ray grating interferometry for the imaging of joint structures. Anat Sci Int. 2013; 89(2):95-100. DOI: 10.1007/s12565-013-0204-z. View

15.

Weitkamp T, Diaz A, David C, Pfeiffer F, Stampanoni M, Cloetens P . X-ray phase imaging with a grating interferometer. Opt Express. 2009; 13(16):6296-304. DOI: 10.1364/opex.13.006296. View

16.

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

17.

Theologis A, Schairer W, Carballido-Gamio J, Majumdar S, Li X, Ma C . Longitudinal analysis of T1ρ and T2 quantitative MRI of knee cartilage laminar organization following microfracture surgery. Knee. 2011; 19(5):652-7. PMC: 3652011. DOI: 10.1016/j.knee.2011.09.004. View

18.

Nieminen M, Toyras J, Laasanen M, Silvennoinen J, Helminen H, Jurvelin J . Prediction of biomechanical properties of articular cartilage with quantitative magnetic resonance imaging. J Biomech. 2004; 37(3):321-8. DOI: 10.1016/s0021-9290(03)00291-4. View

19.

Baum T, Joseph G, Karampinos D, Jungmann P, Link T, Bauer J . Cartilage and meniscal T2 relaxation time as non-invasive biomarker for knee osteoarthritis and cartilage repair procedures. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2013; 21(10):1474-84. PMC: 3929642. DOI: 10.1016/j.joca.2013.07.012. View

20.

Jungmann P, Kraus M, Alizai H, Nardo L, Baum T, Nevitt M . Association of metabolic risk factors with cartilage degradation assessed by T2 relaxation time at the knee: data from the osteoarthritis initiative. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2013; 65(12):1942-50. PMC: 4144858. DOI: 10.1002/acr.22093. View