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Abstract #3302

24-Month Longitudinal Assessment of Cartilage Status in Subjects at Risk of Developing OA: T2 Mapping Following ACL Tear & Reconstruction Surgery

Ashley Williams1, Constance R. Chu1

1Cartilage Restoration Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States


ALC tear (ACLT) is a known risk factor for OA development. Longitudinal T2 mapping of knee cartilage microstructural status in 16 human ACLT subjects reveals that T2 values are stable over the first 12 months following ACL reconstruction surgery and then fall between 12 and 24 months post-surgery. Longitudinal T2 differences were seen in the deep halves of cMFC and cLFC cartilage. Longitudinal differences were not detected in superficial cartilage. Deep T2 differences between ACLT and asymptomatic subjects suggests that T2 mapping may be sensitive to subclinical alteration of the subsurface cartilage matrix that is not detected by arthroscopic evaluation.