Quantitative imaging of cartilage morphology at 3.0 Tesla in the presence of gadopentate dimeglumine (Gd‐DTPA)

MRI‐based cartilage morphometry was previously validated in the absence of gadopentate dimeglumine (Gd‐DTPA). However, Gd‐DTPA is required for compositional (proteoglycan) imaging using delayed gadolinium‐enhanced MRI of cartilage (dGEMRIC). Therefore, the effect of Gd‐DTPA on cartilage morphometry was studied. A total of 165 female participants (67 with and 98 without osteoarthritis [OA]) were imaged at 3.0 Tesla before and 2 hr after intravenous Gd‐DTPA injection. Flip angles in post‐Gd‐DTPA scans varied between 12° and 35°. Cartilage volume and thickness of post‐ vs. pre‐Gd‐DTPA scans showed intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) of 0.85 ≥ r ≥ 0.95, mean differences between –2.1% and +1.1%, and standard deviations (SDs) of differences between 4.7% and 9.2%. Mixed‐effect models found no consistent impact of flip angle and OA status on post‐ vs. pre‐Gd‐DTPA differences. Accurate morphological measurements of cartilage can be obtained after Gd‐DTPA injection, allowing compositional and morphological imaging to be combined into one session. Magn Reson Med 58:402–406, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

[1]  M. Jergas,et al.  Accurate assessment of precision errors: How to measure the reproducibility of bone densitometry techniques , 2005, Osteoporosis International.

[2]  F Eckstein,et al.  Double echo steady state magnetic resonance imaging of knee articular cartilage at 3 Tesla: a pilot study for the Osteoarthritis Initiative , 2005, Annals of the rheumatic diseases.

[3]  F. Eckstein,et al.  Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of articular cartilage in knee osteoarthritis (OA): morphological assessment. , 2006, Osteoarthritis and cartilage.

[4]  T. Vogl,et al.  Quantitative assessment of cartilage status in osteoarthritis by quantitative magnetic resonance imaging: technical validation for use in analysis of cartilage volume and further morphologic parameters. , 2004, Arthritis and rheumatism.

[5]  Maximilian Reiser,et al.  Femoro‐tibial cartilage metrics from coronal MR image data: Technique, test–retest reproducibility, and findings in osteoarthritis , 2003, Magnetic resonance in medicine.

[6]  Deborah Burstein,et al.  New MRI Techniques for Imaging Cartilage , 2003, The Journal of bone and joint surgery. American volume.

[7]  Felix Eckstein,et al.  Toward imaging biomarkers for osteoarthritis. , 2004, Clinical orthopaedics and related research.

[8]  P. Stanwell,et al.  Glycosaminoglycan content of knee cartilage following posterior cruciate ligament rupture demonstrated by delayed gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of cartilage (dGEMRIC). A case report. , 2005, The Journal of bone and joint surgery. American volume.

[9]  R Burgkart,et al.  Magnetic resonance imaging-based assessment of cartilage loss in severe osteoarthritis: accuracy, precision, and diagnostic value. , 2001, Arthritis and rheumatism.

[10]  Carl Johan Tiderius,et al.  Delayed gadolinium‐enhanced MRI of cartilage (dGEMRIC) in early knee osteoarthritis , 2003, Magnetic resonance in medicine.

[11]  F. Nyquist,et al.  Cartilage glycosaminoglycan loss in the acute phase after an anterior cruciate ligament injury: delayed gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of cartilage and synovial fluid analysis. , 2005, Arthritis and rheumatism.

[12]  Miika T Nieminen,et al.  T2 of articular cartilage in the presence of Gd‐DTPA2− , 2004, Magnetic resonance in medicine.

[13]  J. Lynch,et al.  Comparison of fixed-flexion positioning with fluoroscopic semi-flexed positioning for quantifying radiographic joint-space width in the knee: test-retest reproducibility , 2003, Skeletal Radiology.

[14]  D. Burstein,et al.  MRI Techniques in Early Stages of Cartilage Disease , 2000, Investigative radiology.

[15]  F. Cicuttini,et al.  Longitudinal study of changes in tibial and femoral cartilage in knee osteoarthritis. , 2004, Arthritis and rheumatism.

[16]  Deborah Burstein,et al.  Spatially‐localized correlation of dGEMRIC‐measured GAG distribution and mechanical stiffness in the human tibial plateau , 2005, Journal of orthopaedic research : official publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society.

[17]  Felix Eckstein,et al.  Accuracy and precision of quantitative assessment of cartilage morphology by magnetic resonance imaging at 3.0T. , 2005, Arthritis and rheumatism.

[18]  I. Kiviranta,et al.  Delayed gadolinium‐enhanced MRI of cartilage (dGEMRIC) and T2 characteristics of human knee articular cartilage: Topographical variation and relationships to mechanical properties , 2004, Magnetic resonance in medicine.

[19]  Charles A McKenzie,et al.  Delayed gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of cartilage in knee osteoarthritis: findings at different radiographic stages of disease and relationship to malalignment. , 2005, Arthritis and rheumatism.