Imaging of articular cartilage: current concepts

Ronga, Mario and Angeretti, Gloria and Ferraro, Sergio and De Falco, Giovanni and Genovese, Eugenio A. and Cherubino, Paolo (2014) Imaging of articular cartilage: current concepts. Joints, 2 (3). pp. 137-140. ISSN 2282-4324

[img]
Preview
Text
article 2.pdf - Published Version

Download (148kB) | Preview
Official URL: http://www.jointsjournal.eu/index.php?PAGE=issue&I...

Abstract

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the gold standard method for non-invasive assessment of joint cartilage, providing information on the structure, morphology and molecular composition of this tissue. There are certain minimum requirements for a MRI study of cartilage tissue: machines with a high magnetic field (> 1.5 Tesla); the use of surface coils; and the use of T2-weighted, proton density-weighted fast-spin echo (T2 FSE-DP) and 3D fat-suppressed T1-weighted gradient echo (3D-FS T1W GRE) sequences. For better contrast between the different joint structures, MR arthography is a method that can highlight minimal fibrillation or fractures of the articular surface and allow evaluation of the integrity of the native cartilagerepair tissue interface. To assess the biochemical composition of cartilage and cartilage repair tissue, various techniques have been proposed for studying proteoglycans [dGEMRIC, T1rho mapping, sodium (23Na) imaging MRI, etc.], collagen, and water distribution [T2 mapping, “magnetisation transfer contrast”, diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), and so on]. Several MRI classifications have been proposed for evaluating the processes of joint degeneration (WORMS, BLOKS, ICRS) and post-surgical maturation of repair tissue (MOCART, 3D MOCART). In the future, isotropic 3D sequences set to improve image quality and facilitate the diagnosis of disorders of articular structures adjacent to cartilage.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: Articular cartilage, magnetic resonance imaging, cartilage repair, contrast
Subjects: 600 Tecnologia - Scienze applicate > 610 Medicina e salute (Classificare qui la tecnologia dei servizi medici) > 617 Rami vari della medicina; Chirurgia > 617.5 Medicina regionale; Chirurgia regionale
Depositing User: Chiara D'Arpa
Date Deposited: 14 Apr 2015 09:21
Last Modified: 14 Apr 2015 09:21
URI: http://eprints.bice.rm.cnr.it/id/eprint/10201

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item