T2 mapping of hip articular cartilage in healthy volunteers at 3T:: A study of topographic variation

Purpose: To perform baseline T-2 mapping of the hips of healthy volunteers, focusing, topographic variation, because no detailed study,has involved-hips. T-2 mapping is a 7 quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique that evaluates cartilage matrix components. Materials and Methods: Hips of 12 healthy adults (six men and six women; mean, age = 29.5 +/- 4.9 years) were studied with a 3.0-Tesla MRI system. T2 measurement in the oblique-coronal plane used a multi-spin-echo (MSE) sequence. Femoral cartilage was divided, into 12 radial sections; acetabular cartilage was divided into six radial sections, and each section was divided into two layers representing the superficial and,deep halves of the cartilage. T-2 of these sections and layers were measured. Results: Femoral cartilage T-2 was the shortest (-20 degrees to 20 degrees and -10 degrees to 10 degrees, superficial,and. deep layers), with an increase near the magic, angle (54.7). Acetabular cartilage T-2 in both layers was shorter in the periphery than the other parts, especially at 20 degrees to 30 degrees. There were no significant differences in T-2 between right and left hips or between men and women. Conclusion: Topographic variation exists in hip cartilage T-2 in young, healthy adults. These findings should be taken into account when T-2 mapping is applied to patients with, degenerative cartilage.