Orthopaedic fracture fixation implants are increasingly being designed using accurate 3D models of long bones based on computer tomography (CT). Unlike CT, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) does not involve ionising radiation and is therefore a desirable alternative to CT. This study aims to quantify the accuracy of MRI-based 3D models compared to CT-based 3D models of long bones. The femora of five intact cadaver ovine limbs were scanned using a 1.5 T MRI and a CT scanner. Image segmentation of CT and MRI data was performed using a multi-threshold segmentation method. Reference models were generated by digitising the bone surfaces free of soft tissue with a mechanical contact scanner. The MRI- and CT-derived models were validated against the reference models. The results demonstrated that the CT-based models contained an average error of 0.15 mm while the MRI-based models contained an average error of 0.23 mm. Statistical validation shows that there are no significant differences between 3D models based on CT and MRI data. These results indicate that the geometric accuracy of MRI based 3D models was comparable to that of CT-based models and therefore MRI is a potential alternative to CT for generation of 3D models with high geometric accuracy.

The general anesthetic 2,6-diisopropylphenol (propofol) is very poorly soluble in water and is normally administered in the form of an emulsion. We demonstrated that several commercially available nonionic surfactants (Tween 80, Cremophor EL, Poloxamer 188, Poloxamer 407, Solutol HS15, and Vitamin E TPGS) render propofol soluble with a specific solubilization capacity of at least 0.1 g/g. The room-temperature stability of the solutions appeared to be limited only by the chemical stability of the compounds involved. The association between propofol and the surfactants was investigated by various NMR approaches, including measurements of diffusion coefficients, 1 H longitudinal relaxation times, and the magnitude of intermolecular nuclear Overhauser effects. The results were consistent with the micellar solubilization mechanism of propofol by the surfactants (unimer solubilization in the case of Poloxamer 188). The 1 H longitudinal relaxation and diffusion behavior of propofol were monoexponential in each case. Solubilization caused a considerable shortening of propofol's proton T 1's. The values of the diffusion coefficient of propofol were several percent higher than those of surfactants. This was explained by the partitioning of propofol between swollen micelles and the aqueous solution. Diffusion measurements also revealed the presence of a rapidly diffusing ethylene oxide population in surfactant solutions, which is consistent with free poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) known to be present in commercially produced surfactants. The free PEO blocks exhibited molecular association with the extramicellar propofol.

This study provides the first quantitative comparison of DTI of cartilage with the more established PLM techniques. The correlation between alignment angles derived from PLM and DTI data was evident across a wide range of alignment morphologies. The results support the use of DTI for the quantitative measurement of collagen fibre alignment. The microscopic-scale (~10 microm) dispersion of fibre alignment angles appears to be an important factor for understanding the extent of quantitative correlation between PLM and DTI results.

Transverse spin relaxation rates of water protons in articular cartilage and tendon depend on the orientation of the tissue relative to the applied static magnetic field. This complicates the interpretation of magnetic resonance images of these tissues. At the same time, relaxation data can provide information about their organisation and microstructure. We present a theoretical analysis of the anisotropy of spin relaxation of water protons observed in fully hydrated cartilage. We demonstrate that the anisotropy of transverse relaxation is due almost entirely to intramolecular dipolar coupling modulated by a specific mode of slow molecular motion: the diffusion of water molecules in the hydration shell of a collagen fibre around the fibre, such that the molecular director remains perpendicular to the fibre. The theoretical anisotropy arising from this mechanism follows the 'magic-angle' dependence observed in magnetic-resonance measurements of cartilage and tendon and is in good agreement with the available experimental results. We discuss the implications of the theoretical findings for MRI of ordered collagenous tissues.