title: Imaging of the articular cartilage in osteoarthritis of the knee joint: 3D spatial-spectral spoiled gradient-echo vs. fat-suppressed 3D spoiled gradient-echo MR imaging.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare three-dimensional (3D) spatial-spectral (SS) spoiled gradient-recalled acquisition in the steady state (SPGR) imaging with fat-suppressed 3D SPGR sequences in MR imaging of articular cartilage of the knee joint in patients with osteoarthritis.
  
  
  METHODS
  MR images of six patients with osteoarthritis of the knee were prospectively examined with a 1.5T MR scanner. For quantitative analyses, the signal-to-noise ratios, contrast-to-noise ratios, and contrast of cartilage and adjacent structures including meniscus, synovial fluid, muscle, fat tissue, and bone marrow were measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In patients with osteoarthritis, 3DSS-SPGR images demonstrated higher spatial resolution and higher mean signal-to-noise (S/N) ratios (cartilage, 24.9; synovial fluid, 12.3; muscle, 20.7; meniscus, 21.6), with shorter acquisition times (7 minutes 20 seconds), when compared to fat-suppressed 3D SPGR images (cartilage, 22.3; synovial fluid, 10.8; muscle, 16.7; meniscus, 13.4).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  3DSS-SPGR imaging is a promising method for evaluating cartilage pathology in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee and has the potential to replace fat-suppressed 3D SPGR imaging.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, California, USA.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yoshioka
authors.forename: Marcus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alley
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Steines
authors.forename: Kathryn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Stevens
authors.forename: Erika
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rubesova
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Genovese
authors.forename: Michael F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Dillingham
authors.forename: Philipp
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lang
mesh_terms: D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D020370:Osteoarthritis, Knee / Q000473:pathology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric