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Characterization of the collagen component of cartilage repair tissue of the talus with quantitative MRI: comparison of T2 relaxation time measurements with a diffusion-weighted double-echo steady-state sequence (dwDESS)

  • Musculoskeletal
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Abstract

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to characterize the collagen component of repair tissue (RT) of the talus after autologous matrix-induced chondrogenesis (AMIC) using quantitative T2 and diffusion-weighted imaging.

Methods

Mean T2 values and diffusion coefficients of AMIC-RT and normal cartilage of the talus of 25 patients with posttraumatic osteochondral lesions and AMIC repair were compared in a cross-sectional design using partially spoiled steady-state free precession (pSSFP) for T2 quantification, and diffusion-weighted double-echo steady-state (dwDESS) for diffusion measurement. RT and cartilage were graded with modified Noyes and MOCART scores on morphological sequences. An association between follow-up interval and quantitative MRI measures was assessed using multivariate regression, after stratifying the cohort according to time interval between surgery and MRI.

Results

Mean T2 of the AMIC-RT and cartilage were 43.1 ms and 39.1 ms, respectively (p = 0.26). Mean diffusivity of the RT (1.76 μm2/ms) was significantly higher compared to normal cartilage (1.46 μm2/ms) (p = 0.0092). No correlation was found between morphological and quantitative parameters. RT diffusivity was lowest in the subgroup with follow-up >28 months (p = 0.027).

Conclusions

Compared to T2-mapping, dwDESS demonstrated greater sensitivity in detecting differences in the collagen matrix between AMIC-RT and cartilage. Decreased diffusivity in patients with longer follow-up times may indicate an increased matrix organization of RT.

Key Points

• MRI is used to assess morphology of the repair tissue during follow-up.

• Quantitative MRI allows an estimation of biochemical properties of the repair tissue.

• Differences between repair tissue and cartilage were more significant with dwDESS than T2 mapping.

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Acknowledgments

The scientific guarantor of this publication is Dr. Ueli Studler. The authors of this manuscript declare no relationships with any companies whose products or services may be related to the subject matter of the article. The authors state that this work has not received any funding. No complex statistical methods were necessary for this paper. Institutional Review Board approval was obtained. Written informed consent was obtained from all subjects (patients) in this study. Written informed consent was waived by the Institutional Review Board. Some study subjects or cohorts have been previously reported in Delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of cartilage of the ankle joint: Results after autologous matrix-induced chondrogenesis (AMIC)-aided reconstruction of osteochondral lesions of the talus. Wiewiorski et al. Clinical Radiology 6/2013. Methodology: prospective, observational, performed at one institution.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, University Hospital Basel, Petersgraben 4, 4031, Basel, Switzerland

    M. Kretzschmar, N. Hainc & U. Studler

  2. Division of Radiological Physics, University Hospital Basel, Petersgraben 4, 4031, Basel, Switzerland

    O. Bieri

  3. Department of Orthopedics, University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany

    M. Miska

  4. Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University Hospital Basel, Petersgraben 4, 4031, Basel, Switzerland

    M. Wiewiorski & V. Valderrabano

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  1. M. Kretzschmar
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  2. O. Bieri
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Correspondence to M. Kretzschmar.

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Kretzschmar, M., Bieri, O., Miska, M. et al. Characterization of the collagen component of cartilage repair tissue of the talus with quantitative MRI: comparison of T2 relaxation time measurements with a diffusion-weighted double-echo steady-state sequence (dwDESS). Eur Radiol 25, 980–986 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-014-3490-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-014-3490-5

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