Abstract
ObjectiveTo determine the ability of conventional spin echo (SE) T2 and ultrashort echo time (UTE) T2* relaxation times to characterize pathology in cadaveric meniscus samples.Materials and methodsFrom 10 human donors, 54 triangular (radially cut) meniscus samples were harvested. Meniscal pathology was classified as normal (n = 17), intrasubstance degenerated (n = 33), or torn (n = 4) using a modified arthroscopic grading system. Using a 3-T MR system, SE T2 and UTE T2* values of the menisci were determined, followed by histopathology. Effect of meniscal pathology on relaxation times and histology scores were determined, along with correlation between relaxation times and histology scores.ResultsMean ± standard deviation UTE T2* values for normal, degenerated, and torn menisci were 3.6 ± 1.3 ms, 7.4 ± 2.5 ms, and 9.8 ± 5.7 ms, respectively, being significantly higher in degenerated (p < 0.0001) and torn (p = 0.0002) menisci compared to that in normal. In contrast, the respective mean SE T2 values were 27.7 ± 9.5 ms, 25.9 ± 7.0 ms, and 35.7 ± 10.4 ms, without significant differences between groups (all p > 0.14). In terms of histology, we found significant group-wise differences (each p < 0.05) in fiber organization and inner-tip surface integrity sub-scores, as well as the total score. Finally, we found a significant weak correlation between UTE T2* and histology total score (p = 0.007, Rs2 = 0.19), unlike the correlation between SE T2 and histology (p = 0.09, Rs2 = 0.05).ConclusionUTE T2* values were found to distinguish normal from both degenerated and torn menisci and correlated significantly with histopathology.
Highlights
Meniscal injury is one of the most common intra-articular knee derangements [1]
No significant differences in mean spin echo (SE) T2 values were observed between groups (p = 0.17; power = 0.33)
Spin echo T2 (SE T2) relaxation times of the meniscus were unable to distinguish normal from degenerated or torn menisci. These results conflict with a previous work by Rauscher et al, which demonstrated increased meniscal T2 values in patients with clinically mild or severe OA compared to that in healthy controls [13]
Summary
Meniscal injury is one of the most common intra-articular knee derangements [1]. As a well-known risk factor for the development of osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee [2,3,4,5,6,7,8], meniscal injury represents the most frequent cause of orthopedicSeveral quantitative MR techniques have been studied in the meniscus, with T2 mapping [13, 14] representing the most established technique. Meniscal injury is one of the most common intra-articular knee derangements [1]. As a well-known risk factor for the development of osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee [2,3,4,5,6,7,8], meniscal injury represents the most frequent cause of orthopedic. Skeletal Radiology (2021) 50:2405–2414 studies have focused on ultrashort echo time (UTE) techniques [12, 21,22,23]. These pulse sequences allow the signal to be detected much earlier after proton excitation and thereby improve quantification of MR properties. Several ex vivo studies recently have correlated conventional T2 [24] or UTE T2* [25] values of the meniscus against histologic measures, and we aim to build upon the past studies by considering pathologic classification [26] of the menisci, often used in clinical settings
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