Role of MR Imaging in Clinical Research Studies

 

 Buy Article Permissions and Reprints

ABSTRACT

There have been numerous advances in cartilage imaging with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) over the past several years. However, in the absence of effective treatments for articular cartilage disease, these innovations have had little applicability to clinical practice. Putative new therapies do exist but only in clinical trials aimed at establishing the efficacy and safety of these therapies before they are released into general use. These trials, therefore, represent the earliest opportunity to develop imaging methods specifically for such therapies and the diseases that they treat. Accordingly, it is the commercial, regulatory, and logistical demands of the clinical trials process, rather than those of clinical practice, that ultimately shape the early evolution of these imaging tools. Understanding this process and its priorities is essential to contributing to this development and to keeping radiology in sync with advances in the rest of medicine. The following article reviews this novel pathway for innovation in medical imaging and reflects on how recent advances in cartilage MRI might fit in.

REFERENCES

• 1 Forman M, Malamet R, Kaplan D. A survey of osteoarthritis of the knee in the elderly.  J Rheumatol . 1983;  10 282-287
  PubMedGoogle Scholar
• 2 White D, Kothari M, Duryea R, Peterfy C. A phamtom for quality control of MRI knee cartilage volume measurements in clinical trials. Annual Meeting of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine Glasgow, Scotland: Apr 21-27 2001
  Google Scholar
• 3 Lynch J, Zaim S, Zhao J, Peterfy C, Genant H. In vivo measurement of changes in cartilage lesions from MRI of the knee using image registration and semi-automated image analysis. International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine Glasgow, Scotland: Apr 21-27 2001
  Google Scholar
• 4 Peterfy C G, van Dijke F C, Janzen D L. Quantification of articular cartilage in the knee by pulsed saturation transfer and fat-suppressed MRI: optimization and validation.  Radiology . 1994;  192 485-491
  PubMedGoogle Scholar
• 5 Eckstein F, Sitteck H, Gavazzenia A, Milz S, Putz R, Reiser M. Assessment of articular cartilage volume and thickness with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).  Trans Orthop Res Soc . 1995;  20 194
  PubMedGoogle Scholar
• 6 Pilch L, Stewart C, Gordon D. Assessment of cartilage volume in the femorotibial joint with magnetic resonance imaging and 3D computer reconstruction.  J Rheum . 1994;  21 2307-2321
  PubMedGoogle Scholar
• 7 Peterfy C G, White D, Tirman P. Whole-organ evaluation of the knee in osteoarthritis using MRI. European League Against Rheumatism. Glasgow, Scotland: 1999
  Google Scholar
• 8 Wildy K, Zaim S, Peterfy C, Newman B, Kritchevsky S, Nevitt M. Reliability of the whole-organ review MRI scorning (WORMS) method for knee osteoarthritis (OA) in a multicenter study. 65th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Rheumatology San Francisco, CA: Nov. 11-15 2001
  Google Scholar
• 9 Cummings S R, Black D. Should perimenopausal women be screened for osteoporosis?.  Ann Int Med . 1986;  104 817-823
  PubMedGoogle Scholar
• 10 Glüer C-C. Monitoring skeletal changes by radiological techniques.  J Bone Min Res . 1999;  14 1952-1962
  PubMedGoogle Scholar
• 11 Bredella M, Tirman P, Peterfy C. Accuracy of T2-weighted fast spin-echo MR imaging with fat saturation in detecting cartilage defects in the knee: comparison with arthroscopy in 130 patients.  Am J Roentgenol . 1999;  172 1073-1080
  PubMedGoogle Scholar
• 12 Recht M P, Kramer J, Marcelis S. Abnormalities of articular cartilage in the knee: analysis of available MR techniques.  Radiology . 1993;  187 473-478
  PubMedGoogle Scholar
• 13 Disler D G, McCauley T R, Wirth C R, Fuchs M C. Detection of knee hyaline articular cartilage defects using fat-suppressed three-dimensional spoiled gradient-echo MR imaging: comparison with standard MR imaging and correlation with arthroscopy.  Am J Roentgenol . 1995;  165 377-382
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 14 Peterfy C, White D, Zhao J, Van Dijke C, Genant H. Longitudinal measurement of knee articular cartilage volume in osteoarthritis. American College of Rheumatology. San Diego: 1998
  Google Scholar
• 15 Cohen Z A, McCarthy D M, Ateshian G A. In vivo and in vitro knee joint cartilage topography, thickness, and contact areas from MRI.  Orthopaedic Research Society. San Francisco: February 1997
  Google Scholar
• 16 Eckstein F, Gavazzeni A, Sittek H. Determination of knee joint cartilage thickness using three-dimensional magnetic resonance chondro-Crassometry (3D MR-CCM).  Magn Reson Med . 1996;  36 256-265
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 17 Zaim S, Lynch J A, Li J, Genant H K, Peterfy C G. MRI of early cartilage degeneration following meniscal surgery: a three-year longitudinal study. International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine Glasgow, Scotland: April 2001
  Google Scholar
• 18 Bashir A, Gray M L, Burstein D. Gd-DTPA as a measure of cartilage degradation.  Magn Reson Med . 1996;  36 665-673
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 19 Bashir A, Gray M L, Hartke J, Burstein D. Nondistructive imaging of human cartilage glycosaminoglycan concentration by MRI.  Magn Reson Med . 1999;  41 857-865
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 20 Trattnig S, Mlynarkck V, Breilenseher M. MR visualization of proteoglycan depletion in articular cartilage via intravenous injection of Gd-DTPA.  Magn Reson Imaging . 1999;  17 577-583
  CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
• 21 Bashir A, Gray M L, Hartke J, Burstein D. Validation of gadolinium-enhanced MRI for GAG measurement in human cartilage. International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. Philadelphia 1998
  Google Scholar