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Ultrashort echo time magnetization transfer imaging of knee cartilage and meniscus after long-distance running

  • Musculoskeletal
  • Published:
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Abstract

Objective

To assess the detection of changes in knee cartilage and meniscus of amateur marathon runners before and after long-distance running using a 3D ultrashort echo time MRI sequence with magnetization transfer preparation (UTE-MT).

Methods

We recruited 23 amateur marathon runners (46 knees) in this prospective cohort study. MRI scans using UTE-MT and UTE-T2* sequences were performed pre-race, 2 days post-race, and 4 weeks post-race. UTE-MT ratio (UTE-MTR) and UTE-T2* were measured for knee cartilage (eight subregions) and meniscus (four subregions). The sequence reproducibility and inter-rater reliability were also investigated.

Results

Both the UTE-MTR and UTE-T2* measurements showed good reproducibility and inter-rater reliability. For most subregions of cartilage and meniscus, the UTE-MTR values decreased 2 days post-race and increased after 4 weeks of rest. Conversely, the UTE-T2* values increased 2 days post-race and decreased after 4 weeks. The UTE-MTR values in lateral tibial plateau, central medial femoral condyle, and medial tibial plateau showed a significant decrease at 2 days post-race compared to the other two time points (p < 0.05). By comparison, no significant UTE-T2* changes were found for any cartilage subregions. For meniscus, the UTE-MTR values in medial posterior horn and lateral posterior horn regions at 2 days post-race were significantly lower than those at pre-race and 4 weeks post-race (p < 0.05). By comparison, only the UTE-T2* values in medial posterior horn showed a significant difference.

Conclusions

UTE-MTR is a promising method for the detection of dynamic changes in knee cartilage and meniscus after long-distance running.

Key Points

• Long-distance running causes changes in the knee cartilage and meniscus.

• UTE-MT monitors dynamic changes of knee cartilage and meniscal non-invasively.

• UTE-MT is superior to UTE-T2* in monitoring dynamic changes in knee cartilage and meniscus.

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Abbreviations

ANOVA:

Analysis of variance

BMI:

Body mass index

CI:

Confidence intervals

CLFC:

Central lateral femoral condyle

CMFC:

Central medial femoral condyle

ICC:

Intraclass correlation coefficient

LAH:

Lateral anterior horn

LPH:

Lateral posterior horn

LTP:

Lateral tibial plateau

MAH:

Medial anterior horn

MPH:

Medial posterior horn

MTP:

Medial tibial plateau

OA:

Osteoarthritis

PAT:

Patella

PLFC:

Posterior lateral femoral condyle

PMFC:

Posterior medial femoral condyle

ROI:

Regions of interest

RRMI:

Running-related musculoskeletal injury

SNR:

Signal-to-noise ratio

TRO:

Trochlea

UTE:

Ultrashort echo time

UTE-MT:

Ultrashort echo time magnetization transfer

UTE-MTR:

Ultrashort echo time magnetization transfer ratio

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Funding

This study has received funding by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (82101995 to Y.F.), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (82172053 to S.L.), the 2018 High-level Health Team of ZhuHai.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Dantian Zhu and Wenhao Wu contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai, 519000, China

    Dantian Zhu, Wenhao Wu, Wenjun Yu, Guobin Hong, Yijie Fang & Shaolin Li

  2. Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biomedical Imaging, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai, 519000, Guangdong Province, China

    Dantian Zhu, Wenhao Wu, Wenjun Yu, Guobin Hong, Yijie Fang & Shaolin Li

  3. Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, CA, 92037, San Diego, USA

    Yajun Ma

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  1. Dantian Zhu
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  2. Wenhao Wu
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Correspondence to Yijie Fang or Shaolin Li.

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The scientific guarantor of this publication is Shaolin Li.

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The authors of this manuscript declare no relationships with any companies whose products or services may be related to the subject matter of the article.

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Zhu, D., Wu, W., Yu, W. et al. Ultrashort echo time magnetization transfer imaging of knee cartilage and meniscus after long-distance running. Eur Radiol 33, 4842–4854 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-023-09462-x

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