Wingchi Edmund Kwok1, 2, Zhigang You1, Johnny Monu1, Gwysuk Seo1, Amy Lerner3
1Department of Imaging Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, United States; 2Rochester Center for Brain Imaging, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, United States; 3Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, United States
To address insufficient resolution and chemical-shift artifacts that can hinder MRI evaluation of arthritis in finger joints, an interleaved water-fat (IWF) sequence without chemical-shift artifacts and a dedicated RF coil were used for high-resolution finger MRI. In this study, we evaluated this technique in the depiction of bone structures by correlating MR images of cadaver fingers with micro-CT that served as the gold standard. IWF images provided accurate depiction of bone structures and abnormalities as seen in micro-CT, and avoided false appearance of erosions. High-resolution IWF imaging should be useful for the diagnosis, treatment assessment and pathogenesis studies of arthritis.