Molecular Imaging of Cartilage

Molecular (and functional) imaging of articular cartilage.

progress has been made over the past decade in developing imaging methods for quantifying cartilage morphology. Over the coming decades, these methods will likely be supplemented by non-destructive "molecular" or "bio-chemical" imaging by MRI to provide an adjunct or surrogate for the destructive histological and biochemical assays used today. In this talk, we will provide a brief overview of e...

I-55: Molecular Imaging Overview

Molecular imaging is the noninvasive visualization of normal as well as abnormal cellular processes at a molecular or genetic level of function. It is used to provide characterization and measurement of biological processes in living animals and humans (in vivo). The discipline of molecular imaging evolved rapidly over the past decade through the integration of cell biology, molecular biology a...

Compositional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Measures of Cartilage

Imaging the Biomechanical Properties of Articular Cartilage

Function: The primary function of articular cartilage is mechanical: under load it must deform to distribute the load over a larger area so as to minimize stress in the underlying bone. In addition, articular cartilage must provide a very low friction surface for gliding when the joint is flexed so that articulating joints move freely. Lastly, it must carry out these two functions for a lifetim...

Sodium MR Imaging of Articular Cartilage Pathologies

Many studies have proved that noninvasive sodium MR imaging can directly determine the cartilage GAG content, which plays a central role in cartilage homeostasis. New technical developments in the recent decade have helped to transfer this method from in vitro to pre-clinical in vivo studies. Sodium imaging has already been applied for the evaluation of cartilage and repair tissue in patients a...