In vivo three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging of rat knee osteoarthritis model induced using meniscal transection

Abstract

SummaryBackground/ObjectiveIn a rat meniscal tear model of osteoarthritis (OA), a full-thickness cut in the medial meniscus leads to joint instability and progressive development of knee OA. This study evaluated in vivo high-resolution three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging (3D MRI) in demonstrating the knee joint structural changes of this animal model.MethodsA left knee meniscal tear procedure was carried out on 10 rats, and sham surgery was performed on five rats. The joints were MRI scanned 44 days after surgery at 4.7 Tesla. A 3D data set was acquired using a 3D spoiled gradient echo sequence at a resolution of 59 × 117 × 234 μm3. After MRI, microscopic examination of the joints was performed.ResultsThe medial meniscus tear was clearly visible with MRI. Cartilage damage was seen in all animals, with varying degrees of severities, which included a decrease of cartilage thickness and loss of cartilage in some areas, and focal neocartilage proliferation at the joint margin. Damage to the subchondral bone included local osteosclerosis, deformed tibia cortex surface, and osteophytes. The damage to the cartilage and bone was most extensive on the weight-bearing region of the medial tibial plateau. No apparent subchondral bone damage was observed in the epiphysis of the femur. In five animals, single or multiple high MR signal areas were seen within the epiphysis of the tibia, consistent with epiphyseal cyst formation. The knee interarticular space on the media side was slightly increased in two animals. Mild femur–tibia axis misalignment was seen in one animal. Changes seen on MRI were consistent with histopathological changes.ConclusionMRI offers in vivo information on the pathogenesis change of rat knee OA induced with menisectomy. It can serve as a supplement technique to histology, as it is particularly useful for longitudinal follow-up of OA model development.

Topographical and depth-dependent glycosaminoglycan concentration in canine medial tibial cartilage 3 weeks after anterior cruciate ligament transection surgery—a microscopic imaging study

“…Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) have been used in recent years to study and diagnose OA (14)(15)(16)(17)(18). In order to probe the tissue integrity, contrast agents can be used in MRI and CT, since the diffusion of charged ions is related to the negatively charged GAG in cartilage (19).…”

A musculoskeletal finite element model of rat knee joint for evaluating cartilage biomechanics during gait

“…Partial volume artifacts could further affect the segmentation, but the high resolution utilized helps mitigate this effect. Previous research [ 84 , 85 ] was performed using anisotropic pixels with pixel sizes greater (59 × 117 × 234 μm 3 and 51 × 51 × 94 μm 3 , respectively) than those used in our work. In addition, chemical shift of the fat, emphasized by the ultra-high field of the magnet (11.74T), may cause errors in the estimation of tissue volumes.…”

A musculoskeletal finite element model of rat knee joint for evaluating cartilage biomechanics during gait

“…Partial volume artifacts could further affect the segmentation, but the high resolution utilized helps mitigate this effect. Previous research [74,75] was performed using anisotropic pixels with pixel sizes greater (59 × 117 × 234 µm 3 and 51 × 51 × 94 µm 3 , respectively) than those used in our work. In addition, chemical shift of the fat, emphasized by the ultra-high field of the magnet (11.74T), may cause errors in the estimation of tissue volumes.…”

“…In addition, chemical shift of the fat, emphasized by the ultra-high field of the magnet (11.74T), may cause errors in the estimation of tissue volumes. The studies mentioned above utilized fat suppression methods in their gradient echo acquisition schemes [74,75]. Here, fat suppression was not used in the main acquisition to preserve as much signal as possible, as preliminary images with fat suppression suggested minimal effect.…”