TEXTURE ANALYSIS OF CARTILAGE REPAIR TISSUE MATURATION - COMPARISON OF TWO CARTILAGE REPAIR METHODS AND CORRELATION WITH MOCART 2.0

Motivation: To monitor patients after cartilage repair surgery, non-invasive imaging techniques are needed. Goal(s): Study aimed to monitor cartilage repair tissue for up to two years post-surgery using GLCM analysis of T2 maps to assess tissue structure and correlate it with the morphological MOCART 2.0 score. Approach: 37 patients underwent either matrix-associated autologous chondrocyte transplantation or microfracturing. ROI’s were drawn onto T2 maps at three time-points. GLCM features, mean T2 and MOCART 2.0 scores were calculated and analysed. Results: We found correlations between GLCM features and the MOCART 2.0 score, with significant changes in texture of the repair tissue over time for transplant patients. Impact: This study reveals a correlation between GLCM and MOCART 2.0 in autologous chondrocyte transplantation and microfracturing. Only chondrocyte transplants showed significant tissue development over time, indicating complex maturation. These findings will impact patient monitoring in clinical trials after cartilage repair.