Longitudinal study using voxel-based relaxometry: Association between cartilage T 1ρ and T 2 and patient reported outcome changes in hip osteoarthritis

• Published in: Journal of magnetic resonance imaging Vol. 45; no. 5; pp. 1523 - 1533
• Main Authors: Pedoia, Valentina, Gallo, Matthew C, Souza, Richard B, Majumdar, Sharmila
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.05.2017
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Automation; Cartilage, Articular - diagnostic imaging; Cartilage, Articular - pathology; Case-Control Studies; Female; Humans; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted - methods; Imaging, Three-Dimensional; Longitudinal Studies; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Middle Aged; Osteoarthritis, Hip - diagnostic imaging; Osteoarthritis, Hip - pathology; Patient Reported Outcome Measures; Range of Motion, Articular; atlas-based segmentation; voxel-based relaxometry; hip cartilage; T1ρ; osteoarthritis; T2
• ISSN: 1053-1807; 1522-2586
• DOI: 10.1002/jmri.25458

To study the local distribution of hip cartilage T and T relaxation times and their association with changes in patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) using a fully automatic, local, and unbiased method in subjects with and without hip osteoarthritis (OA). The 3 Tesla MRI studies of the hip were obtained for 37 healthy controls and 16 subjects with radiographic hip OA. The imaging protocol included a three-dimensional (3D) SPGR sequence and a combined 3D T and T sequence. Quantitative cartilage analysis was compared between a traditional region of interest (ROI)-based method and a fully automatic voxel-based relaxometry (VBR) method. Additionally, VBR was used to assess local T and T differences between subjects with and without OA, and to evaluate the association between T and T and 18-month changes PROMs. Results for the two methods were consistent in the acetabular (R = 0.79; coefficients of variation [CV] = 2.9%) and femoral cartilage (R = 0.90; CV = 2.6%). VBR revealed local patterns of T and T elevation in OA subjects, particularly in the posterosuperior acetabular cartilage (T : P = 0.02; T : P = 0.038). Overall, higher T and T values at baseline, particularly in the anterosuperior acetabular cartilage (T : Rho = -0.42; P = 0.002; T : Rho = -0.44; P = 0.002), were associated with worsening PROMS at 18-month follow-up. VBR is an accurate and robust method for quantitative MRI analysis in hip cartilage. VBR showed the capability to detect local variations in T and T values in subjects with and without osteoarthritis, and voxel based correlations demonstrated a regional dependence between baseline T and T values and changes in PROMs. 1 J. MAGN. RESON. IMAGING 2017;45:1523-1533.