Longitudinal changes in MR T1?/T2 signal of meniscus and its association with cartilage T1p/T2 in ACL-injured patients.

ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the longitudinal changes in meniscal T1?/T2 signal post-reconstruction in patients with acute anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and to investigate the association with T1?/T2 signal in articular knee cartilage. METHOD:In this prospective study, knees of 37 patients with ACL-injury and reconstruction in addition to 13 healthy controls were scanned using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) T1?/T2 mapping. Quantitative analysis of the meniscus was performed in the anterior/posterior horns of lateral/medial meniscus fourteen sub-compartments of cartilage spanning the medial/lateral area of the tibia and femoral condyles. Meniscus T1?/T2 signals were compared between injured, contralateral and control knees at baseline, 6-months, 1-year and 2-years using t-tests for cross-sectional comparisons and a mixed model for longitudinal comparisons. Pearson-partial correlations between meniscal and cartilage T1?/T2 were evaluated. RESULTS:There was a significant decrease of T1?/T2 signal in the posterior horn of lateral meniscus (PHLAT) of injured knees during a 2-year period. In the posterior horn of medial meniscus (PHMED), T1?/T2 signal of injured knees was significantly elevated at all time points post-reconstruction compared to contralateral and control knees. Within injured knees, PHMED T1?/T2 signal showed significant positive correlations with medial tibia (MT) cartilage T1?/T2 signal at all time points. CONCLUSION:A significant decrease in PHLAT T1?/T2 signal by 2-years suggests potential tissue recovery after ACL-injury. Elevated T1?/T2 signal in the PHMED of injured knees at 2-years correlating with knee cartilage T1?/T2 signal elevations suggests involvement of the PHMED in subacute cartilage degeneration after ACL-injury and reconstruction.

SUBMITTER: Knox J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7322765 | biostudies-literature | 2018 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature