Evaluation of the change in magnetic susceptibility values of knee joint cartilage in patients with osteoarthritis using UTE-QSM

Motivation: Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) may be a useful tool for studying the characteristics of collagen fibers in knee cartilage.The susceptibility quantification using GRE with fat saturation and relatively long TE may be further improved using UTE-QSM. Goal(s): To measure the change in susceptibility values of knee cartilage in patients with different grades of OA using UTE-QSM. Approach: A total of 13 knees from 10 patients who underwent both X-ray and MRI-UTE were enrolled. Results: Our results show that in the posterior regions of the medial femoral condyle and lateral femoral condyle, the magnetic susceptibility value significantly decreases with the increase of OA grade. Impact: UTE-QSM can promote osteoarthrologists and radiologists to better understand knee OA from different dimensions, and can provide more imaging evidence for monitoring the progress of OA, formulating treatment plans, and evaluating treatment effects.