Lasse P. Rsnen1,
2, Mika E. Mononen1, Miika T. Nieminen3, 4,
Eveliina Lammentausta3, Jukka S. Jurvelin1, Rami K.
Korhonen1
1Department
of Applied Physics, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland; 2Department
of Clinical Radiology, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland; 3Department
of Diagnostic Radiology, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland; 4Department
of Radiology, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
The collagen architecture modulates the stresses and strains in a knee joint. Here, two alternative methods for determining the depth-dependent collagen architecture from T2 profiles of clinical MRI were compared. Collagen architectures were implemented into a computational model of a knee joint and the differences in the mechanical response of cartilage were evaluated. The stresses varied up to 49% between the two models. These results emphasize the importance of the collagen architecture, and the role of the the depth-wise T2 analysis method, for evaluation of cartilage stresses and strains in a knee joint.