Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Nolan, M.J

Titel

Studies of dynamics processes in joints using MRI (BL)

Ort / Verlag

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses

Erscheinungsjahr

1998

Quelle

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses A&I

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• This work investigated the potential of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the study of dynamic processes within the soft tissues of articular joints. Although many such processes occur in articular tissues not all of these can be MRI. Three areas were chosen for investigation. Firstly the study of the dynamics of water within articular tissues at the molecular level was investigated through the acquisition of quantitative MRI (QMRI) maps of T2 relaxation times and apparent diffusion coefficients (ADC) of water in the proximal interphalangeal joint of the human hand both in-vivo, in a group of normal volunteers, and in cadaver joints. The results provided the first reported in-vivo measurements of water ADC in cartilage and the first measurements of the water T2 relaxation times in cartilage and the volar plate. The short T2 values (<30ms) of both these tissues necessitated the development of optimised MRI sequences for the acquisition of these parameter maps.The second area of study was the behaviour of articular cartilage under the influence of compressive loading. This work used several different approaches in order to gain some insight into the processes occurring in the joint under these conditions. An initial study in the distal interphalangeal (DIP) joints of normal volunteers demonstrated that changes in MR signal intensity and joint space could be observed under normal physiological loading conditions. The most striking change was a decreased signal intensity in the cartilage following loading, which was thought to be a result of changes in both the proton density and the T2 relaxation times of the cartilage water. This phenomenon was further investigated by varying the water content of bovine nasal septum (BNS) by dehydration in air; this method allowed the correlation between changes in MR signal intensity and loss of cartilage water to be measured gravimetrically.