title: Delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of cartilage (dGEMRIC) and T2mapping at 3T MRI of the wrist: Feasibility and clinical application.
abstract: To assess the feasibility of delayed gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of cartilage (dGEMRIC) and T2mapping for biochemical imaging of the wrist at 3T.
  
  
  
  Seventeen patients with wrist pain (mean age, 41.4 ± 13.1 years) including a subgroup with chondromalacia (n = 11) and 15 healthy volunteers (26.0 ± 2.2 years) underwent dGEMRIC and T2mapping at 3T. For dGEMRIC, the optimum time window after contrast-injection (gadopentetate dimeglumine) was defined as the plateau of the T1curve of repeated measurements 15-90 minutes postinjection and assessed in all volunteers. Reference values of healthy-appearing cartilage from all individuals and values in areas of chondromalacia were assessed using region-of-interest analyses. Receiver-operating-characteristic analyses were applied to assess discriminatory ability between damaged and normal cartilage.
  
  
  
  The optimum time window was 45-90 minutes, and the 60-minute timepoint was subsequently used. In chondromalacia, dGEMRIC values were lower (551 ± 84 msec, P < 0.001), and T2values higher (63.9 ± 17.7, P = 0.001) compared to healthy-appearing cartilage of the same patient. Areas under the curve did not significantly differ between dGEMRIC (0.91) and T2mapping (0.99; P = 0.17). In healthy-appearing cartilage of volunteers and patients, mean dGEMRIC values were 731.3 ± 47.1 msec and 674.6 ± 72.1 msec (P = 0.01), and mean T2values were 36.5 ± 5 msec and 41.1 ± 3.2 msec (P = 0.009), respectively.
  
  
  
  At 3T, dGEMRIC and T2mapping are feasible for biochemical cartilage imaging of the wrist. Both techniques allow separation and biochemical assessment of thin opposing cartilage surfaces and can distinguish between healthy and damaged cartilage.
  
  
  
  3 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2017;45:381-389.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rehnitz
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Bastian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Klaan
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing and Health, University of Applied Sciences of the Saarland, Saarbruecken, Germany.
authors.forename: Iris
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Burkholder
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery, University Hospital Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Falko
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: von Stillfried
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Hans-Ulrich
authors.initials: HU
authors.lastname: Kauczor
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Marc-André
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Weber
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018771:Arthralgia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D002357:Cartilage Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014955:Wrist Joint / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA
keywords: 3T MRI; T2 mapping; cartilage; dGEMRIC; wrist