Analysis of the articular cartilage T-1 and T-2 relaxation times changes after ACL reconstruction in injured and contralateral knees and relationships with bone shape

作者：Pedoia Valentina^*; Su Favian; Amano Keiko; Li Qi; McCulloch Charles E; Souza Richard B; Link Thomas M; Ma Benjamin C; Li Xiaojuan

来源：Journal of Orthopaedic Research, 2017, 35(3): 707-717.

DOI：10.1002/jor.23398

• ACL
• post-traumatic osteoarthritis
• T-1
• T-2
• bone shape
• statistical shape modeling

The objectives of this study were twofold: (1) to evaluate the longitudinal change in cartilage T-1 and T-2 6- and 12-months after ACL reconstruction (ACLR) in both reconstructed and intact contralateral knees with the aim of validating the role of the contralateral knee as an internal control in longitudinal studies; (2) to explore relationships between bone shape at the time of injury and the progression of T-1 and T-2 over 12-months after ACLR. T-1 and T-2 cartilage relaxation times and 3D MRI-based statistical shape modeling (SSM) of tibia and femur were computed for both knees of forty ACL-injured patients and 15 healthy controls. ACL subjects were scanned 8.4 +/- 6.4 weeks after injury (2.4 +/- 3.7 weeks prior to ACLR), 6- and 12-months after ACLR. Longitudinal changes in T-1 and T-2 values were assessed using linear mixed model, and partial correlation coefficients were calculated between bone shape and longitudinal changes in T-1 and T-2 values. Significant longitudinal increases in T-1 and T-2 values were observed in reconstructed and contralateral knees 6-months after ACLR. Tibial bone shape features, associated with the medial plateau height and width, were observed to be correlated with cartilage T-1 and T-2 progression in reconstructed knees. Our results suggest that caution should be used in considering contralateral knee as internal controls in longitudinal ACL studies and 3D MRI-based-SSM might serve as an imaging biomarker for the early stratification of patients at risk for developing post-traumatic accelerated cartilage degeneration and potentially osteoarthritis after ACL tear.

• 出版日期2017-3