P017 - The relation between the Biochemical Composition of Knee articular Cartilage and Quantitative MRI: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
- K. Emanuel (Maastricht, NL)
- K. Emanuel (Maastricht, NL)
- L. Kellner (Maastricht, NL)
- M. Peters (Maastricht, NL)
- M. Haartmans (Maastricht, NL)
- M. Hooijmans (Amsterdam, NL)
- P. Emans (Maastricht, NL)
Abstract
Purpose
Non-invasive detection of early stages of osteoarthritis (OA) is required to enable early treatment and monitoring of interventions. The earliest signs of OA include proteoglycan-content decrease and disruption of collagen network integrity. The aim of this study was to establish the relations between quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and biochemical content and collagen organization in knee articular cartilage, measured by a biochemical assay or polarized light microscopy (PLM).
Methods and Materials
A preregistered systematic literature review was performed using the databases PubMed and Embase. Papers were included if a quantified correlation was described between quantitative MRI measures and either a biochemical assay measurement of proteoglycan/collagen concentration, or PLM measures for collagen organization. The extracted correlations were pooled using a random effects model, if the heterogeneity allowed it.
Results
21 papers were identified. The strongest pooled correlation was found for delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of cartilage (dGEMRIC) versus proteoglycan concentration (r=0.59, fig. 1). T1ρ relaxation times were inversely correlated to proteoglycan concentration (r=-0.54). A weak correlation between T2 relaxation times and proteoglycans was found (r=-0.38). No correlation between T2 relaxation time and collagen concentration was found (r=-0.02). A heterogeneous set of correlations between T2 relaxation times and PLM were identified, including strong correlations to anisotropy.
Conclusion
dGEMRIC showed the strongest correlation to proteoglycan concentration. The required injection of contrast agent is however a disadvantage; the T1ρ sequence was found as the non-invasive alternative. Remarkably, no correlation was found between T2 relaxation times and collagen concentration. T2 relaxation times is related to organization, rather than concentration of collagen fibers.