Korean J Radiol.  2014 Feb;15(1):123-129. 10.3348/kjr.2014.15.1.123.

T2 Values of Femoral Cartilage of the Knee Joint: Comparison between Pre-Contrast and Post-Contrast Images

• Yoon HJ
• Yoon YC
• Choe BK

• KMID: 1711486
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3348/kjr.2014.15.1.123

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
To retrospectively evaluate the relationship between T2 values of pre- and post-contrast magnetic resonance (MR) images of femoral cartilage in patients with varying degrees of osteoarthritis.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
A total of 19 patients underwent delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of cartilage. Six regions of interest for T2 value measurement were obtained from pre- and post-contrast T2-weighted, sagittal, multi-slice, multi-echo, source images in each subject. Regions with modified Noyes classification grade 2B and 3 were excluded. Comparison of T2 values between pre- and post-contrast images and T2 values among regions with the grade 0, 1 and 2A groups were statistically analyzed.
RESULTS
Of a total of 114 regions, 79 regions showing grade 0 (n = 46), 1 (n = 18), or 2A (n = 15) were analyzed. The overall and individual T2 values of post-contrast images were significantly lower than those of pre-contrast images (overall, 35.3 +/- 9.2 [mean +/- SD] vs. 29.9 +/- 8.2, p < 0.01; range of individual, 28.9-37.6 vs. 27.1-36.4, p < 0.01). Pearson correlation coefficients showed a strong positive correlation between pre- and post-contrast images (rho-Pearson = 0.712-0.905). T2 values of pre- and post-contrast images of the grade 0 group were significantly lower than those of the grade 1/2A group (pre T2, p = 0.003; post T2, p = 0.006).
CONCLUSION
T2 values of the femoral cartilage of the knee joint are significantly lower on post-contrast images than on pre-contrast images. Furthermore, these T2 values have a strong positive correlation between pre- and post-contrast images.

Keyword

Magnetic resonance; Cartilage, articular; Osteoarthritis; T2 mapping; dGEMRIC

MeSH Terms

Adult
Aged
*Cartilage, Articular/pathology
Contrast Media/*diagnostic use
Female
Femur
Gadolinium DTPA/diagnostic use
Humans
Knee Joint
Magnetic Resonance Imaging/*methods
Male
Middle Aged
Osteoarthritis, Knee/*diagnosis/pathology
Retrospective Studies
Contrast Media
Gadolinium DTPA

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Example of T2 measurements on map of T2 relaxation time in 51-year-old male patient with osteoarthritis of patellofemoral joint. Three ROIs drawn on femoral cartilage on sagittal, multi-slice, multi-echo, T2-weighted source images (A) were automatically matched to T2 map (B). Mean pixel values of corresponding ROIs on T2 map were automatically measured (numbers in B). T2 values of post-contrast images were measured in same manner. e.g. 4:300 in (A), number on left designates ROI number, and number on right designates mean value of signal intensity in ROI. ROI = regions of interest

• 

  Fig. 2 Boxplots for comparison of T2 values between pre- and post-contrast images. T2 values of all six regions were lower on post-contrast images than on pre-contrast images.

• 

  Fig. 3 Scatterplots for correlations of T2 values between pre- and post-contrast images. Pearson correlation coefficients showed strong positive correlation between pre- and post-contrast images overall (A), and in each region (B-G). R = rho-Pearson

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