23Na MRI of the patellar tendon: A comparison between healthy volunteers and patients with tendinopathy at 3T.

Motivation: Patellar tendinopathy is one of the most common knee pathologies. Tendinopathy changes the biochemical composition of the tendon and 23Na MRI might be able to detect this change in early stages of the disease, as has already been shown in 23Na MRI studies of the Achilles tendon. Goal(s): Translate previous research of 23Na MRI of the Achilles tendon and investigate the potential of 23Na MRI to depict the health of the patellar tendon. Approach: Measure 23Na signal-to-noise ratio and calculate apparent tissue sodium concentration for seven healthy volunteers and three patients and test for significant difference. Impact: The diagnostic potential of 23Na MRI for musculoskeletal pathologies is further investigated by measuring 23Na MRI specific parameters in the patellar tendon, which provide information about changes in the biochemical composition of the tendon.