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European Radiology
Published in: European Radiology 9/2022

31-03-2022 | Osteoarthrosis | Musculoskeletal

Quantitative assessment of articular cartilage degeneration using 3D ultrashort echo time cones adiabatic T1ρ (3D UTE-Cones-AdiabT1ρ) imaging

Authors: Mei Wu, Ya-Jun Ma, Mouyuan Liu, Yanping Xue, Lillian Gong, Zhao Wei, Saeed Jerban, Hyungseok Jang, Douglas G. Chang, Eric Y Chang, Liheng Ma, Jiang Du

Published in: European Radiology | Issue 9/2022

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Abstract

Objectives

To evaluate articular cartilage degeneration using quantitative three-dimensional ultrashort-echo-time cones adiabatic-T1ρ (3D UTE-Cones-AdiabT1ρ) imaging.

Methods

Sixty-six human subjects were recruited for this study. Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) grade and Whole-Organ Magnetic-Resonance-Imaging Score (WORMS) were evaluated by two musculoskeletal radiologists. The human subjects were categorized into three groups, namely normal controls (KL0), doubtful-minimal osteoarthritis (OA) (KL1–2), and moderate–severe OA (KL3–4). WORMS were regrouped to encompass the extent of lesions and the depth of lesions. The UTE-Cones-AdiabT1ρ values were obtained using 3D UTE-Cones data acquisitions preceded by seven paired adiabatic full passage pulses that corresponded to seven spin-locking times (TSLs) of 0, 12, 24, 36, 48, 72, and 96 ms. The performance of the UTE-Cones-AdiabT1ρ technique in evaluating the degeneration of knee cartilage was assessed via the ANOVA comparisons with subregional analysis and Spearman’s correlation coefficient as well as the receiver-operating-characteristic (ROC) curve.

Results

UTE-Cones-AdiabT1ρ showed significant positive correlations with KL grade (r = 0.15, p < 0.05) and WORMS (r = 0.57, p < 0.05). Higher UTE-Cones-AdiabT1ρ values were observed in both larger and deeper lesions in the cartilage. The differences in UTE-Cones-AdiabT1ρ values among different extent and depth groups of cartilage lesions were all statistically significant (p < 0.05). Subregional analyses showed that the correlations between UTE-Cones-AdiabT1ρ and WORMS varied with the location of cartilage. The AUC value of UTE-Cones-AdiabT1ρ for mild cartilage degeneration (WORMS=1) was 0.8. The diagnostic threshold value of UTE-Cones-AdiabT1ρ for mild cartilage degeneration was 39.4 ms with 80.8% sensitivity.

Conclusions

The 3D UTE-Cones-AdiabT1ρ sequence can be useful in quantitative evaluation of articular cartilage degeneration.

Key Points

• The 3D UTE-Cones-AdiabT 1ρ sequence can distinguish mild cartilage degeneration from normal cartilage with a diagnostic threshold value of 39.4 ms for mild cartilage degeneration with 80.8% sensitivity.
• Higher UTE-Cones-AdiabT 1ρ values were observed in both larger and deeper lesions in the articular cartilage.
• UTE-Cones-AdiabT 1ρ is a promising biomarker for quantitative evaluation of early cartilage degeneration.
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Metadata
Title
Quantitative assessment of articular cartilage degeneration using 3D ultrashort echo time cones adiabatic T1ρ (3D UTE-Cones-AdiabT1ρ) imaging
Authors
Mei Wu
Ya-Jun Ma
Mouyuan Liu
Yanping Xue
Lillian Gong
Zhao Wei
Saeed Jerban
Hyungseok Jang
Douglas G. Chang
Eric Y Chang
Liheng Ma
Jiang Du
Publication date
31-03-2022
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in
European Radiology / Issue 9/2022
Print ISSN: 0938-7994
Electronic ISSN: 1432-1084
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-022-08722-6

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