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. 2008 May;16(5):584-90.
doi: 10.1016/j.joca.2007.10.019. Epub 2008 Mar 11.

The feasibility of characterizing the spatial distribution of cartilage T(2) using texture analysis

G Blumenkrantz  1 , R Stahl, J Carballido-Gamio, S Zhao, Y Lu, T Munoz, M-P Hellio Le Graverand-Gastineau, S K Jain, T M Link, S Majumdar
Affiliations

The feasibility of characterizing the spatial distribution of cartilage T(2) using texture analysis

G Blumenkrantz et al. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2008 May.

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was (1) to characterize the spatial distribution of cartilage T(2) in postmenopausal osteoarthritis (OA) patients and age-matched healthy subjects using second order texture measures at baseline, and (2) to analyze changes in the texture of cartilage T(2) after 9 months.

Methods: 3.0T-MRI of the knee was performed in 8 mild OA patients and 10 age-matched controls at baseline and after 9 months. Cartilage T(2), volume, and average thickness were calculated in all patients. Texture analysis, based on the gray level co-occurrence matrix, was performed on the cartilage T(2) maps. Texture parameters, including entropy and angular second moment, were calculated at 0 degrees (corresponding to the anterior-posterior axis) and at 90 degrees (corresponding to the superior-inferior axis), with pixel offsets ranging from 1 to 3 pixels.

Results: Least square means analysis showed that mean T(2) values, their standard deviation (SD), and their entropy were greater (P<0.05) in OA patients than in controls. Over 9 months, the SD and entropy of cartilage T(2) significantly (P<0.05) decreased in OA patients, while no significant changes were evident in cartilage thickness or volume.

Conclusion: The mean cartilage T(2) values, their SD, and their entropy were greater in OA patients than in controls, indicating that the T(2) values in osteoarthritic cartilage are not only elevated, but also more heterogeneous than those in healthy cartilage. The longitudinal results demonstrate that changes in texture parameters of cartilage T(2) may precede morphological changes in thickness and volume in the progression of OA.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Representative T2 colormaps overlayed on T2-weighted images of an advanced OA patient (cartilage WORMS = 5) (left), a mild OA patient (cartilage WORMS = 1) (center), and a control subject (right). The entropy and ASM of cartilage T2 for the OA patients and control subject are listed in the table. The OA patients both have greater entropy and lower ASM than the control subject.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Entropy (top row) of cartilage T2 is greater in OA patients than in controls in all compartments combined, the lateral femur, and the medial tibia at 0° (top left) and 90° (top left). ASM (bottom row) of cartilage T2 greater in controls than in OA patients in all compartments combined, the lateral femur, and the medial tibia at 0° (bottom left) and 90° (bottom right). The formula image indicates a significant difference (P < 0.05) between OA patients and controls. The ‘△’ indicates P < 0.10.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Increased (P < 0.10) cartilage T2 ASM was evident in OA patients from baseline to 9 months. Decreased (P < 0.10) cartilage T2 entropy was evident in OA patients from baseline to 9 months.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Sagittal T2-weighted FSE images (top row) and cartilage T2 maps overlayed on T2-weighted FSE images (bottom row) of an OA patient at baseline and 9 months. At baseline, the cartilage signal at the posterior lateral tibia (arrow) is inhomogeneous (a) and at 9 months, an extensive cartilage defect with a more homogeneous signal has developed in the same area (arrow in [b]). An extensive adjacent bone marrow edema pattern is also evident. Visually, there is a decrease in the heterogeneity of T2 values from baseline to follow-up.
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