Winner of the 2006 COSA Award

Best Science Paper Presented at the 2006 CORA Annual Meeting

Detection and Quantitative Microscopic Evaluation of Osteoarthritis and Osteoporosis by Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

Michael Weber, M.D, PhD
Vancouver, BC

Vijay Daniels, M.D.
F. William Orr, M.D.

Design: Femoral heads excised from patients who underwent total hip arthroplasty were examined using an 11.7 T MRI scanner followed by micro X-ray and histological analysis. A thresholding algorithm was applied to all of the imaging modalities and histology to quantify the density of bone in the subarticular regions of the femoral heads. The thickness of the articular cartilage was also quantified.

Results: Optimal correlation of bone density with histology was found with gradient echo imaging, with an in-plane resolution of 117 x 117 mm. The results also suggested that MR imaging may be superior to micro X-ray in the quantification of trabecular bone. Both gradient echo and spin echo were found to be highly effective in quantifying cartilage thickness.

Conclusion: Our results suggest that MRI may be able to accurately assess in vivo cartilaginous and osseous structures associated with osteoarthritis and osteoporosis similarly to histology.