A Pilot Study on Feasibility of Ultrashort Echo Time T2*Cartilage Mapping in the Sacroiliac Joints

Purpose Assess feasibility of ultrashort echo time (UTE) T2* cartilage mapping in sacroiliac (SI) joints Methods Prospective magnetic resonance imagings with UTE T2* cartilage maps obtained on 20 SI joints in 10 subjects. Each joint was segmented into thirds by 2 radiologists. The UTE T2* maps were analyzed; reliability and differences in UTE T2* values between radiologists were assessed. Results Mean UTE T2* value was 10.44 +/- 0.60 ms. No difference between right/left SI joints (median, 10.52 vs 10.45 ms; P = 0.940), men/women (median, 10.34 vs. 10.57 ms; P = 0.174), or different anatomic regions (median range 10.55-10.69 ms; P = 0.805). Intraclass correlation coefficients were 0.94 to 0.99 (intraobserver) and 0.91 to 0.96 (interobserver). Mean bias +/- standard deviation on Bland-Altman was -0.137 +/- 0.196 ms (limits of agreement -0.521 and 0.247) without proportional bias (beta = 0.148, P = 0.534). Conclusions The UTE T2* cartilage mapping in the SI joints is feasible with high reader reliability.