UTE in Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease where early detection of cartilage damage is critical for effective intervention. Recent advances in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and quantitative image analysis have revealed significant potential for understanding articular cartilage pathophysiology. However, conventional MRI techniques face challenges in evaluating the deep cartilage zone, which plays a critical role in early OA but remains understudied. This project aims to develop and validate innovative imaging techniques to address this gap, providing a comprehensive tool for early OA detection and monitoring. Our hypothesis is that a novel 2D-UTE MRI sequence, incorporating mono- and bi-exponential T2* mapping, will enable precise, non-invasive assessment of the deep cartilage zone`s structural composition. This advanced imaging approach, combined with conventional morphological MRI, could facilitate the detection of early OA-related changes and improve disease monitoring. The project will proceed in five phases: (1) technical development of 2D-UTE T2* mapping for subchondral bone imaging at various MRI field strengths (7T micro-MRI, 7T whole-body MRI, and clinical 3T MRI); (2) ex vivo validation of the 2D-UTE T2* technique against histopathological assessments of cartilage; (3) in vivo optimization for deep cartilage zone imaging in healthy volunteers; (4) application of the optimized protocol to patients with early OA; and (5) automated data processing and evaluation, leveraging advanced cartilage segmentation techniques to extract and analyze T2* values. This work is highly original and innovative, combining multi-parametric biochemical MRI with PET-MR data to link structural and metabolic insights into subchondral bone. These advancements could enable longitudinal monitoring of deep cartilage zone alterations and offer a prognostic tool for assessing the efficacy of disease-modifying OA treatments.