Abstract
Objective: To determine if individuals with chronic ankle instability (CAI) demonstrate different talar cartilage T1ρ relaxation times compared to uninjured controls. Design: Fifteen CAI (21.13 ± 1.81 years, 4.00 ± 2.07 previous ankle sprains) and fifteen controls (21.07 ± 2.55 years, no previous ankle sprains) participated. CAI inclusion criteria was in accordance with the International Ankle Consortium guidelines. Greater T1ρ relaxation times were interpreted as greater degenerative changes. Participants were non-weight bearing for 30-minutes prior to scanning to unload the cartilage. Voxel by voxel T1ρ relaxation times were calculated from a five image sequence. Segmentation of the talar cartilage was performed manually using ITK-SNAP software. T1ρ relaxation time means and variability across the entire talus and in the anteromeidal, anterolateral, posteromedial, and posterolateral regions of interest (ROIs) were compared between groups using mean differences and effect sizes (ES) with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95%CI). Results: Individuals with CAI demonstrated higher T1ρ relaxation times (mean ± standard deviation) across the entire talus (CAI: 65.97 ± 10.45 ms, Control: 58.84 ± 7.68 ms; ES = 0.76, 95%CI = 0.02–1.50), in the anterolateral (ES = 1.00, 95%CI = 0.24–1.48), posteromedial (ES = 0.74, 95%CI = 0.01–1.49), and posterolateral region of interest (ES = 3.84, 95%CI = 2.63–5.04). The T1ρ relaxation time variability (mean ± standard deviation) also differed across the overall talus (CAI: 32.78 ± 4.06 ms, Control: 28.23 ± 4.45 ms; ES = 1.04, 95%CI = 0.28–1.80), in the anteriolateral, (ES = 1.07, 95%CI = 0.31, 1.84) and posteriolateral (ES = 1.00, 95%CI = 0.24–1.75) ROIs. Conclusions: Individuals with CAI demonstrate greater T1ρ relaxation times and higher T1ρ variability compared to uninjured controls. This finding supports the existing literature illustrating early degenerative joint tissue changes consistent with early onset posttraumatic osteoarthritis in individuals with CAI.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 646-649 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Osteoarthritis and Cartilage |
| Volume | 27 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2019 Apr |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:These results support our a priori hypothesis and are consistent with studies linking CAI to cartilage degeneration via T2 mapping9–12 and arthroscopic visualization3,13. Greater T1ρ relaxation times suggest those with CAI already demonstrate deleterious changes in talar cartilage quality. Greater T1ρ variability is thought to be representative of a more distributed pattern of degenerative changes over the talus consistent with similar patterns observed in those with a history of a LAS during arthroscopic visualization3,13. However, it is difficult to contextualize the variability results as this variable has not been previously reported. Cumulatively, our results are consistent with the early stages of osteoarthritis development; compositional changes in articular cartilage (i.e., higher T1ρ values) without morphological degradation (i.e., no decline in cartilage volume)8.This project was funded by a Junior Faculty Development Award through the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The sponsors had no involvement in the study design, collection, analysis of data, or the decision to submit the manuscript for publication.
Funding Information:
This project was funded by a Junior Faculty Development Award through the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill . The sponsors had no involvement in the study design, collection, analysis of data, or the decision to submit the manuscript for publication.
Funding Information:
These results support our a priori hypothesis and are consistent with studies linking CAI to cartilage degeneration via T2 mapping 9?12 and arthroscopic visualization 3,13. Greater T1? relaxation times suggest those with CAI already demonstrate deleterious changes in talar cartilage quality. Greater T1? variability is thought to be representative of a more distributed pattern of degenerative changes over the talus consistent with similar patterns observed in those with a history of a LAS during arthroscopic visualization 3,13. However, it is difficult to contextualize the variability results as this variable has not been previously reported. Cumulatively, our results are consistent with the early stages of osteoarthritis development; compositional changes in articular cartilage (i.e., higher T1? values) without morphological degradation (i.e., no decline in cartilage volume)8.This project was funded by a Junior Faculty Development Award through the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The sponsors had no involvement in the study design, collection, analysis of data, or the decision to submit the manuscript for publication.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 Osteoarthritis Research Society International
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Rheumatology
- Biomedical Engineering
- Orthopedics and Sports Medicine