Multi-Vendor Multi-Site Novel Accelerated MRI Relaxometry

Currently the diagnosis of OA is based on radiographs and clinical findings, which is limited to detecting late-stage disease. There is a pressing, unmet clinical need for robust assessment of early changes in cartilage health. Towards this goal, extensive efforts are ongoing to develop quantitative MRI for cartilage matrix analysis. MR T1ρ and T2 relaxation times have shown to be promising imaging biomarkers for early cartilage degeneration and prediction of disease progression. However, many challenges remain to clinically applying these techniques, including lack of standardized acquisition and quantification methods, and long acquisition times. The study aims to develop novel, fast and reproducible MR T1ρ and T2 relaxation time imaging methods on MR systems from multiple vendors and establish a platform for standardization and cross validation of these measures as a tool for clinical trials using such techniques. Following method validation, patients at risk for osteoarthritis will be tested.