High-resolution magnetic resonance imaging of normal porcine cartilaginous epiphyseal maturation.

The aim of this study was to determine whether high-resolution magnetic resonance (MR) imaging could differentiate epiphyseal and articular cartilage in the cartilaginous epiphysis and demonstrate its developmental changes. T1- and T2-weighted (T1W and T2W) spin-echo sequences at 50-mm field of view (FOV) of hip joints were obtained from 14 piglets (newborn to 6 months). Subsequently, high-resolution MR images (15-mm FOV) of a biopsy core of the proximal femoral cartilaginous epiphysis were correlated with histology.