Osteoarthritis is a common source of pain and lameness in horses of all ages. There are currently no diagnostic tests available to detect early cartilage lesions. A T2 mapping sequence was used on a low field 0.27 T open MR system to image the cartilage of 20 ex vivo equine distal interphalangeal joints. Results showed significantly increased mean T2 relaxation time 114±95 ms in lateral cartilage (higher OARSI grades) compared to 71±21 ms in medial cartilage (lower OARSI grades). This quantitative MRI technique could be used to diagnose early pathology in equine joints in the future.
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