Quantitative UTE Imaging of Zonal Difference in Meniscus

Motivation: Quantitative MR imaging techniques could reveal compositional differences between red and white zones in menisci. Unfortunately, this type of analysis may not be possible using conventional sequences due to the rapid signal decay of menisci. Goal(s): The study aimed to investigate whether quantitative UTE imaging techniques could detect the zonal difference between the red and white zones in menisci. Approach: UTE imaging techniques, including UTE-T1, UTE-MT modeling, UTE-AdiabT1ρ, and UTE-T2*, were used to assess menisci in vivo quantitatively. Results: T1, MMF, and T2* values in the red zone are significantly lower than those in the white zone. Impact: Our qUTE MRI techniques enable a quantitative, zonal, and compositional analysis of menisci in vivo, which is valuable in helping understand the role of menisci in the pathogenesis of complex diseases such as osteoarthritis.