T(2) mapping of the meniscus is a biomarker for early osteoarthritis

PURPOSE: To evaluate in vivo T(2) mapping as quantitative, imaging-based biomarker for meniscal degeneration in humans, by studying the correlation between T(2) relaxation time and degree of histological degeneration as reference standard. METHODS: In this prospective validation study, 13 menisci from seven patients with radiographic knee osteoarthritis (median age 67 years, three males) were included. Menisci were obtained during total knee replacement surgery. All patients underwent pre-operative magnetic resonance imaging using a 3-T MR scanner which included a T(2) mapping pulse sequence with multiple echoes. Histological analysis of the collected menisci was performed using the Pauli score, involving surface integrity, cellularity, matrix organization, and staining intensity. Mean T(2) relaxation times were calculated in meniscal regions of interest corresponding with the areas scored histologically, using a multi-slice multi-echo postprocessing algorithm. Correlation between T(2) mapping and histology was assessed using a generalized least squares model fit by maximum likelihood. RESULTS: The mean T(2) relaxation time was 22.4 ± 2.7 ms (range 18.5–27). The median histological score was 10, IQR 7–11 (range 4–13). A strong correlation between T(2) relaxation time and histological score was found (r(s) = 0.84, CI 95% 0.64–0.93). CONCLUSION: In vivo T(2) mapping of the human meniscus correlates strongly with histological degeneration, suggesting that T(2) mapping enables the detection and quantification of early compositional changes of the meniscus in knee OA. KEY POINTS: • Prospective histology-based study showed that in vivo T (2) mapping of the human meniscus correlates strongly with histological degeneration. • Meniscal T (2) mapping allows detection and quantifying of compositional changes, without need for contrast or special MRI hardware. • Meniscal T (2) mapping provides a biomarker for early OA, potentially allowing early treatment strategies and prevention of OA progression. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s00330-019-06091-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.