Magnetic resonance chondro-crassometry (MR CCM): a method for accurate determination of articular cartilage thickness?
A method for the assessment of articular cartilage thickness based on MRI is presented and its accuracy and reproducibility tested. Six specimens of human patellae were imaged, using a fat-suppressed FLASH 3D sequence, and sectioned with a high-precision band saw. The regional distribution of articular cartilage thickness was determined from the MR images and from the anatomical sections (intervals of 0.5 mm). With image analysis 50-90% of the image points were found to lie within exactly the same thickness interval in corresponding patterns, and less than 17% deviated more than 0.5 mm. More than 85% of all pixels were reproducible with MRI after new positioning of the joint. No influence of the read-out direction and no important differences between areas of thin and thick cartilage could be detected. The authors conclude that MR chondro-crassometry can provide accurate and reproducible information on cartilage thickness.
Eckstein
F
F
Anatomische Anstalt, Ludwig-Maximillians Universität, München, Germany.
Sittek
H
H
Gavazzeni
A
A
Schulte
E
E
Milz
S
S
Kiefer
B
B
Reiser
M
M
Putz
R
R
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000886:Anthropometry; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012984:Software