Musculoskeletal MRI
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a major cause of disability - 75% of people over 60 will suffer from OA. In OA, articular cartilage degenerates, leaving no cushion for the joint to articulate, resulting in pain. Acute injuries such as ACL and meniscal tears increase the risk of OA. MRI offers excellent soft tissue contrast, and is the most accurate non-invasive way to image cartilage, menisci, ligaments and tendons.
Our research in OA is directed toward quantitative imaging that can assess OA before symptoms occur. This would be useful to develop, evaluate, and ultimately recommend treatments for OA. We have developed numerous 3D methods for high-resolution acquisition of knee images that can be used to quantitatively map T2, T2*, diffusion and sodium content.
Relevant Publications
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Imaging of Metabolic Activity in Osteoarthritis with PET/MRI
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic, degenerative disease of the joint that is characterized by degeneration affecting all tissues in the joint.
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Cluster Analysis for Identifying Focal Cartilage Defects
A new visualization and cluster analysis tool helps identify focal cartilage T2 and T1rho relaxation time defects in the femoral condyles of an ACL-injured population.
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Rapid Volumetric Quantification of Cartilage Biochemistry with MRI
Detection of changes in cartilage glycosaminoglycan (GAG) content and distribution are vital for early diagnosis of osteoarthritis (OA) and potential treatment monitoring.
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Knee Cartilage MRI T1rho (CubeQuant), T2 (qDESS) and Sodium (Cones) Variability
T1rho and T2 relaxation times as well as sodium MRI are parameters that are correlated with cartilage proteoglycan and collagen macromolecules.
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Estimation of Multiple Tissue Parameters Using the DESS Sequence
The Double-Echo Steady-State (DESS) sequence, which produces undistorted, SNR-efficient 3D scans, can provide estimates of multiple tissue parameters.