Advanced Morphological and Biochemical Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Cartilage Repair Procedures in the Knee Joint at 3 Tesla

Goetz H. Welsch; Tallal C. Mamisch; Timothy Hughes; Stephan Domayer; Stefan Marlovits; Siegfried Trattnig

doi:10.1055/s-0028-1083104

Seminars in Musculoskeletal Radiology, Table of Contents

Semin Musculoskelet Radiol 2008; 12(3): 196-211
DOI: 10.1055/s-0028-1083104

Advanced Morphological and Biochemical Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Cartilage Repair Procedures in the Knee Joint at 3 Tesla

Goetz H. Welsch¹ , Tallal C. Mamisch² , Timothy Hughes³ , Stephan Domayer⁴ , Stefan Marlovits⁵ , Siegfried Trattnig¹

¹MR Center, Department of Radiology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
²Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Berne, Berne, Switzerland
³Siemens Medical Solutions, Erlangen, Germany
⁴Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
⁵Department of Trauma Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Morphological and biochemical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is due to high field MR systems, advanced coil technology, and sophisticated sequence protocols capable of visualizing articular cartilage in vivo with high resolution in clinical applicable scan time. Several conventional two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) approaches show changes in cartilage structure. Furthermore newer isotropic 3D sequences show great promise in improving cartilage imaging and additionally in diagnosing surrounding pathologies within the knee joint. Functional MR approaches are additionally able to provide a specific measure of the composition of cartilage. Cartilage physiology and ultra-structure can be determined, changes in cartilage macromolecules can be detected, and cartilage repair tissue can thus be assessed and potentially differentiated. In cartilage defects and following nonsurgical and surgical cartilage repair, morphological MRI provides the basis for diagnosis and follow-up evaluation, whereas biochemical MRI provides a deeper insight into the composition of cartilage and cartilage repair tissue. A combination of both, together with clinical evaluation, may represent a desirable multimodal approach in the future, also available in routine clinical use.

KEYWORDS

MRI - cartilage repair - dGEMRIC - T2 - 3 Tesla

Full Text

References

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Goetz H WelschM.D.

MR Center–High Field MR, Department of Radiology, Medical University of Vienna

Lazarettgasse 14, A-1090 Vienna, Austria

Email: welsch@bwh.harvard.edu