title: Alignment does not influence cartilage T2 in asymptomatic knee joints.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether the static knee alignment affects articular cartilage ultrastructures when measured using T2 relaxation among asymptomatic subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  Both knee joints (n = 96) of 48 asymptomatic volunteers (26 females, 22 males; 25.4 ± 1.7 years; no history of major knee trauma or surgery) were evaluated clinically (Lysholm, Tegner) and by MRI (hip-knee-ankle angle, standard knee protocol, T2 mapping). Group (n = 4) division was as follows: neutral (<1° varus/valgus), mild varus (2°-4° varus), severe varus (>4° varus) and valgus (2°-4° valgus) deformity with n = 12 subjects/group; n = 24 knees/group. Regions of interest (ROI) for T2 assessment were placed within full-thickness cartilage across the whole joint surface and were divided respecting compartmental as well as functional joint anatomy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Leg alignment was 0.7° ± 0.5° varus among neutral, 3.0° ± 0.6° varus among mild varus, 5.0° ± 1.1° varus among severe varus and 2.5° ± 0.7° valgus among valgus group subjects and thus significantly different. No differences between the groups emerged from clinical measures. No morphological pathology was detected in any knee joint. Global T2 values (42.3 ± 2.3; 37.7-47.9 ms) of ROIs placed within every knee joint per subject were not different between alignment groups or between genders, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Static frontal plane leg malalignment does not affect cartilage ultrastructure among young, asymptomatic individuals as measured by T2 quantitative imaging.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study, Level II-III.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Sports Medicine, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Ismaninger Str. 69, 81675, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sauerschnig
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Bauer
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kohn
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hinterwimmer
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Landwehr
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Woertler
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Jungmann
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Koestler
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Niemeyer
authors.forename: A B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Imhoff
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Salzmann
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017760:Bone Malalignment / Q000473:pathology*; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000473:pathology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000473:pathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D055815:Young Adult