Novel quantitative imaging for early detection of joint tissue injury to support early treatment strategies.

Abstract

The Cartilage Restoration Center at the University of Pittsburgh conducts research using novel imaging technologies to detect early microstructural changes to articular joint tissues in degenerative and traumatic injury-induced articular cartilage and meniscus disease. Identification of early changes to joint tissues permits the identification of patients who could potentially benefit from therapeutic interventions. Quantitative strategies for the diagnosis and staging of joint tissue degeneration prior to the breakdown of the articular cartilage or meniscal surfaces remain a challenge. Our research has shown that the current clinical standard, arthroscopic visualization, and palpation of cartilage and menisci, may be insensitive to early subsurface alterations in these tissues, particularly in the deepest layers of articular cartilage [1–3]. Our work with quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) reveals a strong potential for these methods to provide information regarding early diagnosis and staging of subsurface tissue injury that are not readily available with current technologies [3–5].