title: Human patellar cartilage: echo planar diffusion-weighted MR imaging findings at 3.0 T.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the findings of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and the diffusion characteristics on patellar cartilage in healthy adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty healthy subjects were studied on SIEMENS 3.0-T Trio Tim magnetic resonance (MR) scanner. The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of the patellar cartilage were measured in different areas.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The patellar cartilage demonstrated homogeneously high signal intensity on the images of DWI and maps of ADC. The ADC values displayed a spatial dependency, approximately (1.17 ± 0.31)×10(-3) mm(2)/s of the entire cartilage.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Diffusion-weighted MR imaging may display articular cartilage structure. There is a consistent pattern of spatial variation of the ADC values.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, Zhengzhou, China. zsc2686@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Shao-Cheng
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Da-Peng
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Ang
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Xuan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D017352:Echo-Planar Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015588:Observer Variation; D010329:Patella / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity