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Degeneration of articular cartilage in osteonecrosis of the femoral head begins at the necrotic region after collapse: a preliminary study using T1 rho MRI

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Abstract

Objective

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the role of collapse on the degeneration of articular cartilage in patients with osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH).

Materials and methods

Sixteen hips in 12 patients (four men, eight women; mean age, 34.8 years) with a history of systemic corticosteroid treatment were studied using T1 rho magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Six hips had collapsed ONFH, five had non-collapsed ONFH, and five had no osteonecrosis (controls). Using oblique coronal images, we divided the articular surface of necrotic femoral heads into a region just above the necrotic bone (necrotic zone) and another above the living bone (living zone). T1 rho value was evaluated for each zone.

Results

The mean T1 rho value in the necrotic zone was significantly higher in the collapsed ONFH group (48.4 ± 2.7 ms) than in the non-collapsed ONFH group (41.0 ± 0.9 ms). In the collapsed ONFH group, the mean T1 rho value was significantly higher in the necrotic zone (48.4 ± 2.7 ms) than in the living zone (43.5 ± 2.5 ms). In the non-collapsed ONFH group, there was no significant difference between the mean T1 rho values of the necrotic and living zones. In the collapsed ONFH group, the mean T1 rho value of the necrotic zone and the interval from pain onset to the MRI examination were positively correlated.

Conclusions

The current T1 rho MRI study suggested that the degeneration of articular cartilage in ONFH begins at the necrotic region after collapse.

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Acknowledgments

This work was partially supported by the Practical Research Project for Rare/Intractable Diseases from the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED), and a grant-in-aid in Scientific Research (16K10906) from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, Japan

    Kazuhiko Sonoda, Goro Motomura & Yasuharu Nakashima

  2. Department of Clinical Radiology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, Japan

    Satoshi Kawanami, Yukihisa Takayama & Hiroshi Honda

  3. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Fukuoka University, 7-45-1 Nanakuma, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka, Japan

    Takuaki Yamamoto

Authors
  1. Kazuhiko Sonoda
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  2. Goro Motomura
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  3. Satoshi Kawanami
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  4. Yukihisa Takayama
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  5. Hiroshi Honda
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  6. Takuaki Yamamoto
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  7. Yasuharu Nakashima
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Correspondence to Goro Motomura.

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Sonoda, K., Motomura, G., Kawanami, S. et al. Degeneration of articular cartilage in osteonecrosis of the femoral head begins at the necrotic region after collapse: a preliminary study using T1 rho MRI. Skeletal Radiol 46, 463–467 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00256-017-2567-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00256-017-2567-z

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