Goetz Hannes Welsch1, Tallal Charles Mamisch2, Lukas Zak3, Sebastian Quirbach1, Stefan Marlovits3, Siegfried Trattnig1
1MR Center, Department of Radiology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; 2Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Berne, Berne, Switzerland; 3Center for Joints and Cartilage, Department of Trauma Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
The objective of this study was to use advanced MR techniques to evaluate and compare cartilage repair tissue after matrix-associated autologous chondrocyte transplantation in the patella and in the medial femoral condyle (MFC). For morphological evaluation, the MR observation of cartilage repair tissue (MOCART) score was used, with a 3D-True-FISP sequence. For biochemical assessment, T2-mapping was prepared by a multi-echo spin-echo approach with particular attention to the zonal structure of cartilage. The assessment of cartilage repair tissue of the patella and the MFC demonstrated comparable morphological results, whereas biochemical T2 values showed differences, possibly due to dissimilar biomechanical loading conditions.