Characterization of Trabecular Bone Micro-Architecture in the Knee in Osteoarthrosis Using High-Resolution MRI

Osteoarthrosis (OA) is a multi-factorial disease characterized by the progressive loss of articular cartilage and the development subchondral sclerosis, intra-osseous cysts and osteophytes. In addition to changes in cartilage which occur in OA, it is suggested that early changes are seen in the adjoining subchondral and trabecular bone (1). In this work we develop, optimize and extend MR techniques to depict and quantify trabecular bone structure in vivo in the knee joint, in the distal femur and proximal tibia. We characterize and quantify the variations of the trabecular bone structure measures along the distal femur and proximal tibia and examine the difference in trabecular structure between the tibia and femur, in joints unaffected and affected by OA.