Abstract #0356

Ex Vivo Evaluation of Sodium Relaxation Times in Pediatric Articular-Epiphyseal Cartilage on a Whole-body 10.5T MR System – Initial Results

Stefan Zbyn^1,2, Kai D. Ludwig^1,2, Lauren Watkins³, Alexandra R. Armstrong⁴, Russell L. Lagore^1,2, Amanda Nowacki¹, Marc A. Tompkins⁵, Ferenc Toth⁴, Gregor Adriany^1,2, Kevin G. Shea⁶, Garry Gold⁷, Armin M. Nagel⁸, Cathy S. Carlson⁴, Gregory J. Metzger^1,2, and Jutta M. Ellermann^1,2

¹Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States, ²Department of Radiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States, ³Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States, ⁴Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, United States, ⁵Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States, ⁶Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Stanford Children's Hospital, Palo Alto, CA, United States, ⁷Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States, ⁸Institute of Radiology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany

Sodium imaging is quantitative technique sensitive to changes in cartilage glycosaminoglycan content. Changes in cartilage matrix, due to maturation or degeneration, may influence sodium relaxation times which can lead to incorrect sodium concentration estimates when not addressed. This ex vivo study employs pediatric knee specimens to evaluate the relationship between sodium relaxation parameters and compositional changes in the developing cartilage matrix. Our preliminary evaluation suggests that cartilage maturation is accompanied by a decrease in sodium T₁ and the short T₂* component. Sodium concentrations in studies comparing healthy, diseased or immature cartilage should be corrected for possible changes in relaxation times.

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