title: Morphological imaging and T2 and T2* mapping of hip cartilage at 7 Tesla MRI under the influence of intravenous gadolinium.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the influence of intravenous gadolinium on cartilage T2 and T2* relaxation times and on morphological image quality at 7-T hip MRI.
  
  
  METHODS
  Hips of 11 healthy volunteers were examined at 7 T. Multi-echo sequences for T2 and T2* mapping, 3D T1 volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination (VIBE) and double-echo steady-state (DESS) sequences were acquired before and after intravenous application of gadolinium according to a delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of cartilage (dGEMRIC) protocol. Cartilage relaxation times were measured in both scans. Morphological sequences were assessed quantitatively using contrast ratios and qualitatively using a 4-point Likert scale. Student's t-test, Pearson's correlation (ρ) and Wilcoxon sign-rank test were used for statistical comparisons.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pre- and post-contrast T2 and T2* values were highly correlated (T2: acetabular: ρ = 0.76, femoral: ρ = 0.77; T2*: acetabular: ρ = 0.80, femoral: ρ = 0.72). Gadolinium enhanced contrasts between cartilage and joint fluid in DESS and T1 VIBE according to the qualitative (p = 0.01) and quantitative (p < 0.001) analysis. The delineation of acetabular and femoral cartilage and the labrum predominantly improved with gadolinium.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Gadolinium showed no relevant influence on T2 or T2* relaxation times and improved morphological image quality at 7 T. Therefore, morphological and quantitative sequences including dGEMRIC can be conducted in a one-stop-shop examination.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  • Hip cartilage T2 values correlate highly before and after gadolinium at 7 T • Hip cartilage T2* values correlate highly before and after enhancement at 7 T • Morphological hip cartilage imaging benefits from intravenous gadolinium at 7 T • The delineation of acetabular and femoral cartilage can be improved by gadolinium • Morphological and quantitative sequences including dGEMRIC can be combined as a one-stop-shop examination.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Hospital Essen, Hufelandstr. 55, 45147, Essen, Germany. andrea.lazik@uk-essen.de.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lazik-Palm
authors.affiliation: Erwin L. Hahn Institute for Magnetic Resonance Imaging, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kraff
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Hospital Essen, Hufelandstr. 55, 45147, Essen, Germany.
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Geis
authors.affiliation: Erwin L. Hahn Institute for Magnetic Resonance Imaging, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
authors.forename: Sören
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Johst
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Hospital Essen, Hufelandstr. 55, 45147, Essen, Germany.
authors.forename: Juliane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Goebel
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Hospital Essen, Hufelandstr. 55, 45147, Essen, Germany.|Erwin L. Hahn Institute for Magnetic Resonance Imaging, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.|Division of Medical Physics in Radiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Mark E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Ladd
authors.affiliation: Erwin L. Hahn Institute for Magnetic Resonance Imaging, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.|High-Field and Hybrid MR Imaging, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany.
authors.forename: Harald H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Quick
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Hospital Essen, Hufelandstr. 55, 45147, Essen, Germany.
authors.forename: Jens M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Theysohn
mesh_terms: D000077:Acetabulum / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D061605:Administration, Intravenous; D000328:Adult; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000187:drug effects; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006621:Hip Joint / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA
keywords: Hip cartilage; T2 mapping; T2* mapping; Ultra-high-field MRI; dGEMRIC