Radial T2*mapping reveals early meniscal abnormalities in patients with knee osteoarthritis

Objective We aimed to validate a 2D radial T2* mapping method and its ability to reveal subtle alterations in the menisci of patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). Methods Of 40 enrolled participants, 20 were diagnosed with OA, and 20 were age- and sex-matched asymptomatic controls. Data from the right knee of each participant were collected using a 1.5-T MRI equipped with a single-channel knee coil. T2* values were acquired using a conventional T2* mapping protocol and a radial T2* mapping method. Mean T2* values in the meniscal white zones, meniscal red zones, and total menisci were calculated. Numerical simulation was performed for validation. Results Both simulation and clinical data confirmed that 2D radial T2* mapping provided better discrimination than the conventional method. Compared to controls, the OA group showed significantly greater mean (standard deviation) T2* values in the white zones (9.33 [2.29] ms vs. 6.04 [1.05] ms), red zones (9.18 [2.03] ms vs. 6.81 [1.28] ms), and total menisci (9.26 [2.06] ms vs. 6.34 [1.14] ms). Correlations were found between the Lequesne index and the meniscal T2* values in all three regions (r = 0.528, p = 0.017; r = 0.635, p = 0.003; and r = 0.556, p = 0.011, respectively). Conclusion These findings indicate that in early OA, radial T2* mapping is an alternative means of assessing meniscal degeneration and can be used to monitor its progression.

Automated summary

This study validated a 2D radial T2* mapping method for revealing subtle alterations in the menisci of patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). The results showed that the radial T2* mapping method provided better discrimination than the conventional method. It was found that the T2* values in the menisci were significantly higher in the OA group compared to the control group, and there were correlations between the T2* values and the Lequesne index.