Feasibility and Reproducibility of T1 Rho MRI in the Evaluation of Hip Cartilage

Kurzzusammenfassung

Hip osteoarthritis is a frequent and invalidating disease. Early detection of cartilage modifications could provide better patient treatment. The T1rho MRI sequence allows the quantification of the cartilage signal that is correlated to modifications of the cartilage matrix, notably of the proteoglycans. The primary objective is to evaluate normal values of hip cartilage in vivo using T1rho MRI in healthy subjects and the reproducibility of the measurements. T1rho and T2 mapping sequences were acquired twice during the same session with 30 minutes interval to see if values were modified after a 30 minutes delay in a supine position. The secondary objective was to assess the correlation between T1rho and T2 values.