title: Comparison of Quantitative Cartilage T2 Measurements and Qualitative MR Imaging between Professional Ballet Dancers and Healthy Volunteers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare qualitative magnetic resonance (MR) images and quantitative T2 measurements of the tibiotalar cartilage between ballerinas and healthy volunteers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Institutional review board approval for this study and informed consent (from all participants) were obtained. MR examinations were performed by using a 3-T MR imaging system with 21 professional female ballet dancers and 20 healthy female volunteers. Two musculoskeletal radiologists qualitatively measured tibiotalar cartilage T2 values in the anterior zones, middle zones, and posterior zones of cartilage. MR findings were also qualitatively analyzed in both groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The tibial cartilage T2 values measured in the anterior and posterior zones and the talar cartilage T2 values measured in all three zones were significantly higher in the ballerina group than in the control group (P < .001). The posterior zones exhibited the highest T2 values among the three tibiotalar cartilage zones in both groups (P < .001). A significant between-group difference was evident in terms of the presence of posterior soft-tissue edema (P = .001) and flexor hallucis longus tenosynovitis (P < .001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings showed a trend toward increasing cartilage T2 values in ballerinas when compared with control subjects, indicating that quantitative T2 measurement may potentially be used as a noninvasive imaging tool for early detection of cartilage lesions in the tibiotalar joint.
authors.affiliation: From the Departments of Radiology (J.G.C., J.S.Y.) and Orthopedics (Y.K.L.), Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital, 170 Jomaru-ro, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon, South Korea, 420-767; and Department of Radiology, Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital, Cheonan, South Korea (J.K.H.).
authors.forename: Jang Gyu
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Cha
authors.affiliation: From the Departments of Radiology (J.G.C., J.S.Y.) and Orthopedics (Y.K.L.), Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital, 170 Jomaru-ro, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon, South Korea, 420-767; and Department of Radiology, Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital, Cheonan, South Korea (J.K.H.).
authors.forename: Ji Sook
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Yi
authors.affiliation: From the Departments of Radiology (J.G.C., J.S.Y.) and Orthopedics (Y.K.L.), Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital, 170 Jomaru-ro, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon, South Korea, 420-767; and Department of Radiology, Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital, Cheonan, South Korea (J.K.H.).
authors.forename: Jong Kyu
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: From the Departments of Radiology (J.G.C., J.S.Y.) and Orthopedics (Y.K.L.), Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital, 170 Jomaru-ro, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon, South Korea, 420-767; and Department of Radiology, Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital, Cheonan, South Korea (J.K.H.).
authors.forename: Young Koo
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000843:Ankle Joint; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D003615:Dancing; D005260:Female; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D011446:Prospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult