• Rahman Baboli, Azadeh Sharafi, Gregory Chang, and Ravinder R Regatte.
• From the Bernard and Irene Schwartz Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA.
• J Magn Reson Imaging. 2019 Sep 1; 50 (3): 824-835.

BackgroundMeasuring T1ρ in the knee menisci can potentially be used as noninvasive biomarkers in detecting early-stage osteoarthritis (OA).PurposeTo demonstrate the feasibility of biexponential T1ρ relaxation mapping of human knee menisci.Study TypeProspective.PopulationEight healthy volunteers with no known inflammation, trauma, or pain in the knee and three symptomatic subjects with early knee OA.Field Strength/SequenceCustomized Turbo-FLASH sequence to acquire 3D-T1ρ -weighted images on a 3 T MRI scanner.AssessmentT1ρ relaxation values were assessed in 11 meniscal regions of interest (ROIs) using monoexponential and biexponential models.Statistical TestsNonparametric rank-sum tests, Kruskal-Wallis test, and coefficient of variation.ResultsThe mean monoexponential T1ρ relaxation in the lateral menisci were 28.05 ± 4.2 msec and 37.06 ± 10.64 msec for healthy subjects and early knee OA patients, respectively, while the short and long components were 8.07 ± 0.5 msec and 72.35 ± 3.2 msec for healthy subjects and 2.63 ± 2.99 msec and 55.27 ± 24.76 msec for early knee OA patients, respectively. The mean monoexponential T1ρ relaxation in the medial menisci were 34.30 ± 3.8 msec and 37.26 ± 11.38 msec for healthy and OA patients, respectively, while the short and long components were 7.76 ± 0.7 msec and 72.19 ± 4.2 msec for healthy subjects and 3.06 ± 3.24 msec and 55.27 ± 24.59 msec for OA patients, respectively. Statistically significant (P ≤ 0.05) differences were observed in the monoexponential relaxation between some of the ROIs. The T1ρ,short was significantly lower (P = 0.02) in the patients than controls. The rmsCV% ranges were 1.51-16.6%, 3.59-14.3%, and 4.91-15.6% for T1ρ -mono, T1ρ -short, and T1ρ -long, respectively.Data ConclusionOur results showed that in all ROIs, T1ρ relaxation times of outer zones (red zones) were less than inner zones (white zones). Monoexponential T1ρ was increased in medial, lateral, and body menisci of early OA while the biexponential numbers were decreased in early OA patients.Level Of Evidence2 Technical Efficacy Stage: 1 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2019. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2019;50:824-835.© 2019 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

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