Assessment of T-1, T-1 rho, and T-2 values of the ulnocarpal disc in healthy subjects at 3 tesla

作者：Rauscher Isabel; Bender Benjamin; Groezinger Gerd; Luz Oliver; Pohmann Rolf; Erb Michael; Schick Fritz; Martirosian Petros^*

来源：Magnetic Resonance Imaging, 2014, 32(9): 1085-1090.

DOI：10.1016/j.mri.2014.05.010

• Triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC)
• Ulnocarpal disc
• Wrist MRI
• MR relaxometry

Objective: The purpose of this study was to implement clinically feasible imaging techniques for determination of T-1, T-1 rho,T- and T-2 values of the ulnocarpal disc and to assess those values in a cohort of asymptomatic subjects at 3 testa. Resulting values were compared between different age groups, since former histological findings of the ulnocarpal disc indicated frequent early degenerative changes of this tissue starting in the third decade of life, even in asymptomatic subjects. %26lt;br%26gt;Materials and methods: Twenty-seven healthy subjects were included in this study. T-1 measurements were performed using 3D spoiled gradient-echo (GRE) sequence with variable flip angle. A series of T-1 rho and T-2-weighted images was acquired by a 3D GRE sequence after suitable magnetization preparation. T-1,T-1 rho, and T-2 maps of the ulnocarpal disc were calculated pixel-wise. Representative mean values from extended regions were analysed. %26lt;br%26gt;Results: Mean T-1 values of the ulnocarpal disc ranged from 722 ms in a 39 year-old subject to 1264 ms in a 65 year-old subject, Tip ranged from 92 ms (26 year-old subject) to 25.9 ms (65 year-old subject). Calculated T-2 values showed a large range from 4.1 ms to 223 ms. T-1 rho and T-1 values tended to increase with age (p %26lt; 0.05), whereas T-2 did not %26lt;br%26gt;Conclusions: MR relaxometty of the ulnocarpal disc is feasible, and T-1,T-1 rho and T-2 values show modest variance in asymptomatic subjects. The potential of relaxation mapping to reveal relevant structural changes in patients has to be investigated in further studies.

• 出版日期2014-11