Gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of the knee: an experimental approach.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to examine gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for monitoring cartilage degeneration.


METHODS
This is a proof-of-concept study in an animal model. Adult New Zealand rabbits were randomly stratified into five groups. Papain was injected intra-articularly in the right knee in four groups to establish the stages of cartilage degeneration. The left knee and group 5 served as controls. Bilateral MRI was performed 24 h after the initial injection of papain, and 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months following three papain injections. Injection of the contrast agent was followed by bilateral MRI examination immediately upon injection, and at 2 and 4 h post-injection. Signal intensities of articular cartilage and peripheral soft tissues were obtained before animals were sacrificed. Post-mortem bilateral cartilage specimens were studied histologically.


RESULTS
Histopathology results verified the staged degeneration of papain-treated articular cartilage. Differences in cartilage signal intensity were significant for the staged model using a special three-dimensional MRI method (P < 0.05) but not using ordinary MRI. No differences were observed within or between the control groups (P > 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Contrast-enhanced MRI examination may be a viable tool for early diagnosis of osteoarticular disease. Prospective studies are warranted to evaluate the potential for clinical application.
Medical Imaging Center, the First Affiliated Hospital, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guang Dong, People's Republic of China. tlsr@jnu.edu.cn
Sirun
S
Liu
Si
S
Shen
Tianyuan
T
Zhu
Wenbin
W
Liang
Li
L
Huang
Hanfang
H
Chen
Hejia
H
Wu
D000818:Animals; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000473:pathology*; D003287:Contrast Media; D018450:Disease Progression; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000473:pathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D020370:Osteoarthritis, Knee / Q000473:pathology*; D011817:Rabbits; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D003287:Contrast Media; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA