Assessment of trabecular bone structure of the calcaneus using multi-detector CT: correlation with microCT and biomechanical testing.

The prediction of bone strength can be improved when determining bone mineral density (BMD) in combination with measures of trabecular microarchitecture. The goal of this study was to assess parameters of trabecular bone structure and texture of the calcaneus by clinical multi-detector row computed tomography (MDCT) in an experimental in situ setup and to correlate these parameters with microCT (microCT) and biomechanical testing. Thirty calcanei in 15 intact cadavers were scanned using three different protocols on a 64-slice MDCT scanner with an in-plane pixel size of 208 microm and 500 microm slice thickness.

Trabecular bone structure analysis in the osteoporotic spine using a clinical in vivo setup for 64-slice MDCT imaging: comparison to microCT imaging and microFE modeling.

Assessment of trabecular microarchitecture may improve estimation of biomechanical strength, but visualization of trabecular bone structure in vivo is challenging. We tested the feasibility of assessing trabecular microarchitecture in the spine using multidetector CT (MDCT) on intact human cadavers in an experimental in vivo-like setup. BMD, bone structure (e.

Spatial distribution and relationship of T1rho and T2 relaxation times in knee cartilage with osteoarthritis.

T(1rho) and T(2) relaxation time constants have been proposed to probe biochemical changes in osteoarthritic cartilage. This study aimed to evaluate the spatial correlation and distribution of T(1rho) and T(2) values in osteoarthritic cartilage. Ten patients with osteoarthritis (OA) and 10 controls were studied at 3T.

Assessment of cartilage-dedicated sequences at ultra-high-field MRI: comparison of imaging performance and diagnostic confidence between 3.0 and 7.0 T with respect to osteoarthritis-induced changes at the knee joint.

Objective: The objectives of the study were to optimize three cartilage-dedicated sequences for in vivo knee imaging at 7.0 T ultra-high-field (UHF) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and to compare imaging performance and diagnostic confidence concerning osteoarthritis (OA)-induced changes at 7.0 and 3.

Comparison of quantitative imaging of cartilage for osteoarthritis: T2, T1rho, dGEMRIC and contrast-enhanced computed tomography.

Evaluation of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) concentration in articular cartilage is of particular interest to the study of degenerative joint diseases such as osteoarthritis (OA). Noninvasive imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) have demonstrated the potential to assess biochemical markers of cartilage integrity such as GAG content; however, many imaging techniques are available and the optimization of particular techniques in the diagnosis of joint disease remains an active area of research. In order to highlight the differences between these various approaches, this work compares MRI (T1, T2 and T1rho) and contrast-enhanced CT in human articular cartilage, in both the presence and absence of gadolinium-based contrast agent.

Magnetic resonance imaging of in vivo patellofemoral kinematics after total knee arthroplasty.

Simulated partial weight bearing during magnetic resonance imaging of the knee was used to measure patellar tilt, medial-lateral patellar shift, and patellofemoral contact area in three groups of subjects; patients with posterior cruciate retaining (PCR) TKA, patients with bicruciate substituting (BCS) TKA, and healthy controls. Contact stress was also calculated based on the contact area and body weight-based estimates of contact force. Contact stress was significantly (p<0.

Geodesic topological analysis of trabecular bone microarchitecture from high-spatial resolution magnetic resonance images.

In vivo assessment of trabecular bone microarchitecture could improve the prediction of fracture risk and the efficacy of osteoporosis treatment and prevention. Geodesic topological analysis (GTA) is introduced as a novel technique to quantify the trabecular bone microarchitecture from high-spatial resolution magnetic resonance (MR) images. Trabecular bone parameters that quantify the scale, topology, and anisotropy of the trabecular bone network in terms of its junctions are the result of GTA.

Magnetic resonance T(1 rho) imaging of osteoarthritis: a rabbit ACL transection model.

Objective: The objective of this study was to develop quantitative T(1 rho)-weighted magnetic resonance imaging methodology for the detection and characterization of cartilage degeneration in a rabbit anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) transection model.

Methods: The right knee ACLs of 18 adult female New Zealand white rabbits were transected. The left knee joint served as a sham control.

Three-dimensional image registration of MR proximal femur images for the analysis of trabecular bone parameters.

This study investigated the feasibility of automatic image registration of MR high-spatial resolution proximal femur trabecular bone images as well as the effects of gray-level interpolation and volume of interest (VOI) misalignment on MR-derived trabecular bone structure parameters. For six subjects in a short-term study, a baseline scan and a follow-up scan of the proximal femur were acquired on the same day. For ten subjects in a long-term study, a follow-up scan of the proximal femur was acquired 1 year after the baseline.

Meniscal measurements of T1rho and T2 at MR imaging in healthy subjects and patients with osteoarthritis.

Purpose: To prospectively evaluate differences in T1(rho) (T1 relaxation time in the rotating frame) and T2 values in the meniscus at magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in both patients with varying degrees of osteoarthritis (OA) and healthy control subjects.

Materials And Methods: The study was institutional review board approved and HIPAA compliant. Written informed consent was obtained from all subjects.

In vivo T1rho quantitative assessment of knee cartilage after anterior cruciate ligament injury using 3 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging.

Objective: The aims of this study were to evaluate the spatial distribution of cartilage structure in controls and patients, and to quantitatively assess the cartilage overlying bone marrow edema-like lesion (BMEL) and within defined cartilage compartments in knees with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears using T1rho mapping technique at 3 T magnetic resonance imaging.

Materials And Methods: The knee joints of 15 healthy controls (4 women, 11 men, mean age = 30.1 year) and 16 patients with ACL tear (5 women, 11 men, mean age = 32.

Feasibility of measuring trabecular bone structure of the proximal femur using 64-slice multidetector computed tomography in a clinical setting.

We studied the feasibility of cancellous bone structure assessment of the proximal femur using multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) in an simulated in vivo experimental model. The proximal femur of 15 intact human cadavers was examined using 64-row MDCT using a thin-section protocol with an in-plane spatial resolution of 273 mum. High-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) of the isolated specimens with a voxel size of 82 mum served as a standard of reference.

GRAPPA-based susceptibility-weighted imaging of normal volunteers and patients with brain tumor at 7 T.

Susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) is a valuable technique for high-resolution imaging of brain vasculature that greatly benefits from the emergence of higher field strength MR scanners. Autocalibrating partially parallel imaging techniques can be employed to reduce lengthy acquisition times as long as the decrease in signal-to-noise ratio does not significantly affect the contrast between vessels and brain parenchyma. This study assessed the feasibility of a Generalized Autocalibrating Partially Parallel Acquisition (GRAPPA)-based SWI technique at 7 T in both healthy volunteers and brain tumor patients.

Analyser-based tomography images of cartilage.

Analyser-based imaging expands the performance of X-ray imaging by utilizing not only the absorption properties of X-rays but also the refraction and scatter rejection (extinction) properties. In this study, analyser-based computed tomography has been implemented on imaging an articular cartilage sample, depicting substructural variations, without overlay, at a pixel resolution of 3.6 microm.

T1rho, T2 and focal knee cartilage abnormalities in physically active and sedentary healthy subjects versus early OA patients--a 3.0-Tesla MRI study.

(1) To assess the degree of focal cartilage abnormalities in physically active and sedentary healthy subjects as well as in patients with early osteoarthritis (OA). (2) To determine the diagnostic value of T2 and T1rho measurements in identifying asymptomatic physically active subjects with focal cartilage lesions. Thirteen asymptomatic physically active subjects, 7 asymptomatic sedentary subjects, and 17 patients with mild OA underwent 3.

Quantitative assessment of bone tissue mineralization with polychromatic micro-computed tomography.

Micro-computed tomography (microCT) has become an important tool for morphological characterization of cortical and trabecular bone. Quantitative assessment of bone tissue mineral density (TMD) from microCT images may be possible; however, the methods for calibration and accuracy have not been thoroughly evaluated. This study investigated hydroxyapatite (HA) phantom sampling limitations, short-term reproducibility of phantom measurements, and accuracy of TMD measurements by correlation to ash density.

Quantitative assessment of bone marrow edema-like lesion and overlying cartilage in knees with osteoarthritis and anterior cruciate ligament tear using MR imaging and spectroscopic imaging at 3 Tesla.

Purpose: To quantitatively assess bone marrow edema-like lesion (BMEL) and the overlying cartilage in osteoarthritis (OA) or anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)-injured knees using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and spectroscopic imaging (MRSI).

Materials And Methods: Eight healthy controls and 30 patients with OA and other injuries who showed BMEL were scanned at 3.0T.

Feasibility and reproducibility of relaxometry, morphometric, and geometrical measurements of the hip joint with magnetic resonance imaging at 3T.

Purpose: To test the feasibility of in vivo magnetic resonance T(1rho) relaxation time measurements of hip cartilage, and quantify the reproducibility of hip cartilage thickness, volume, T(2), T(1rho), and size of femoral head measurements.

Materials And Methods: The hip joint of five human healthy volunteers, one subject with mild hip osteoarthritis (OA) and one subject with advanced hip OA, was imaged with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 3T. Hip cartilage thickness, volume, T(1rho), and T(2) were quantified, as well as the size of the femoral head.

High-resolution intracranial MRA at 7T using autocalibrating parallel imaging: initial experience in vascular disease patients.

Purpose: Greater spatial resolution in intracranial three-dimensional time-of-flight (TOF) magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) is possible at higher field strengths, due to the increased contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) from the higher signal-to-noise ratio and the improved background suppression. However, at very high fields, spatial resolution is limited in practice by the acquisition time required for sequential phase encoding. In this study, we applied parallel imaging to 7T TOF MRA studies of normal volunteers and patients with vascular disease, in order to obtain very high resolution (0.

New techniques for cartilage magnetic resonance imaging relaxation time analysis: texture analysis of flattened cartilage and localized intra- and inter-subject comparisons.

MR relaxation time measurements of knee cartilage have shown potential to characterize knee osteoarthritis (OA). In this work, techniques that allow localized intra- and inter-subject comparisons of cartilage relaxation times, as well as cartilage flattening for texture analysis parallel and perpendicular to the natural cartilage layers, are presented. The localized comparisons are based on the registration of bone structures and the assignment of relaxation time feature vectors to each point in the bone-cartilage interface.

A comparative study at 3 T of sequence dependence of T2 quantitation in the knee.

Objective: T2 mapping has been used widely in detecting cartilage degeneration in osteoarthritis. Several scanning sequences have been developed in the determination of T2 relaxation times of tissues. However, the derivation of these times may vary from sequence to sequence.

Diagnostic performance of in vivo 3-T MRI for articular cartilage abnormalities in human osteoarthritic knees using histology as standard of reference.

The purpose of this study was (1) to evaluate the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of sagittal in vivo 3-T intermediate-weighted fast spin-echo (iwFSE) sequences in the assessment of knee cartilage pathologies using histology as the reference standard in patients undergoing total knee replacement, and (2) to correlate MR imaging findings typically associated with osteoarthritis such as bone marrow edema pattern (BMEP) and cartilage swelling with histological findings. Tibial plateaus and femoral condyles of eight knees of seven patients were resected during surgery, and sagittal histological sections were prepared for histology. Preoperative MRI findings were compared to the corresponding region in histological sections for thickness, surface integrity and signal pattern of cartilage, and histological findings in areas of BMEP and swelling were documented.

Prevalence of pathologic findings in asymptomatic knees of marathon runners before and after a competition in comparison with physically active subjects-a 3.0 T magnetic resonance imaging study.

Purpose: To determine the prevalence of pathologic findings in asymptomatic knees of marathon runners before and after a competition in comparison with physically active subjects. To compare the diagnostic performance of cartilage-dedicated magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences at 3.0 T.

Proximal femur specimens: automated 3D trabecular bone mineral density analysis at multidetector CT--correlation with biomechanical strength measurement.

Purpose: To prospectively evaluate an automated volume of interest (VOI)-fitting algorithm for quantitative computed tomography (CT) of proximal femur specimens, correlate bone mineral density (BMD) with biomechanically determined bone strength in vitro, and compare that correlation with those observed at dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) measurement of BMD.

Materials And Methods: The study was compliant with institutional and legislative requirements; donors had dedicated their body for education and research before death. Multidetector CT and DXA scans were acquired in 178 proximal femur specimens harvested from human cadavers (91 women, 87 men; mean age at death, 79 years +/- 10.