Diffusion tensor imaging of human Achilles tendon by stimulated echo readout‐segmented EPI (ste‐RS‐EPI)

Wengler, Kenneth; Tank, Dharmesh; Fukuda, Takeshi; Paci, James M.; Huang, Mingqian; Schweitzer, Mark E.; He, Xiang

doi:10.1002/mrm.27220

Cited by 26 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…The collagen fiber network in articular cartilage is intimately related to its biomechanical properties . Quantitative knowledge of the fiber architecture is crucial for development of realistic biomechanical models.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Dyck et al demonstrated that diffusion tractography of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) graft is feasible with clinical 3T MRI scanners, which provide a reliable estimation of quantitative DTI indices of the ACL graft . Recently, Achilles tendon diffusion properties of healthy participants and tendinopathy patients were investigated on a clinical MR scanner with the Achilles positioned at the magic angle (~55°) to main magnetic field for the maximum tendon MR signal . DTI of growing ends of long bones demonstrated the columnar structure in the physis and metaphysis of the knee .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Diffusion tractography of the rat knee at microscopic resolution

Wang

Mirando

Cofer

et al. 2019

Magnetic Resonance in Med

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Purpose To evaluate whole knee joint tractography, including articular cartilage, ligaments, meniscus, and growth plate using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) at microscopic resolution. Methods Three rat knee joints were scanned using a modified 3D diffusion‐weighted spin echo pulse sequence with 90‐ and 45‐μm isotropic spatial resolution at 9.4T. The b values varied from 250 to 1250 s/mm2 with 4 times undersampling in phase directions. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) were compared at different spatial resolution and b values. Tractography was evaluated at multiple b values and angular resolutions in different connective tissues, and compared with conventional histology. The mean tract length and tract volume in various types of tissues were also quantified. Results DTI metrics (FA and MD) showed consistent quantitative results at 90‐ and 45‐μm isotropic spatial resolutions. Tractography of various connective tissues was found to be sensitive to the spatial resolution, angular resolution, and diffusion weightings. Higher spatial resolution (45 μm) supported tracking the cartilage collagen fiber tracts from the superficial zone to the deep zone, in a continuous and smooth progression in the transitional zone. Fiber length and fiber volume in the growth plate were strongly dependent on angular resolution and b values, whereas tractography in ligaments was found to be less dependent on spatial resolution. Conclusion High spatial and angular resolution DTI and diffusion tractography can be valuable for knee joint research because of its visualization capacity for collagen fiber orientations and quantitative evaluation of tissue’s microscopic properties.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diffusion tractography of the rat knee at microscopic resolution

Wang

Mirando

Cofer

et al. 2019

Magnetic Resonance in Med

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“…Since the diffusion‐encoded spins undergo longitudinal relaxation during the TM, relaxation‐related signal attenuation within the diffusion preparation block can be greatly reduced. Therefore, stimulated echo‐based diffusion preparation can be especially useful for tissues with short T 2 /T 2 * values such as the Achilles tendon and skeletal muscle . The adoption of stimulated echo‐based diffusion preparation provides the added benefit of eddy current compensation during the TM without an associated TE penalty …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To overcome these limitations, a stimulated echo‐based diffusion preparation with readout‐segmented echo planar imaging (ste‐RS‐EPI) acquisition, as developed by our group for Achilles tendon diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), was adapted for tendon IVIM . The echo time (TE) of the ste‐RS‐EPI protocol can be as low as 14 msec to achieve high SNR.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To further boost tendon MR signal, the Achilles tendon was positioned at the magic angle (∼55°) with respect to the scanner B 0 field to increase the T 2 /T 2 * of healthy Achilles tendon to ∼15 msec. We previously applied this method to compare the Achilles tendon microstructural integrity between healthy participants and tendinopathy patients with DTI . In this study, to establish the feasibility and sensitivity of the Achilles tendon ste‐RS‐EPI IVIM protocol, the derived blood volume and blood flow indicators were measured in healthy participants at baseline and postexercise.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) imaging in human achilles tendon

Wengler

Fukuda

Tank

et al. 2018

Magnetic Resonance Imaging

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In vivo evaluation of human patellar tendon microstructure and microcirculation with diffusion MRI

Wengler

Fukuda

Tank

et al. 2019

Magnetic Resonance Imaging

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Background Patellar tendon (PT) microstructure integrity and microcirculation status play a crucial role in the progression of tendinopathy and tendon repair. Purpose To assess the feasibility and robustness of stimulated‐echo based diffusion‐weighted MRI with readout‐segmented echo‐planar imaging (ste‐RS‐EPI) for noninvasive assessment of microstructure and microcirculation of human PT. Study Type Prospective. Subjects Fifteen healthy volunteers. Field Strength/Sequence PT diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) were acquired with an ste‐RS‐EPI protocol on a 3T MRI scanner. Assessment Subjects were positioned with their PT at the magic angle. DTI‐derived parameters including axial diffusivity (AD), radial diffusivity (RD), mean diffusivity (MD), and fractional anisotropy (FA) were estimated with b‐values of 0 and 800 s/mm2 and 12 diffusion directions. IVIM‐derived parameters, f p, D* × f p, V b, and D* × V b were assessed in the central‐third and the outer‐two thirds of the PT with b‐values of 0, 20, 30, 60, 80, 120, 200, 400, and 600 s/mm2 in three orthogonal directions. Statistical Tests Paired t‐tests were used to evaluate differences in IVIM parameters between the central‐third and outer‐two thirds regions of the patellar tendon. Paired t‐tests and within‐subject coefficient of variation were used to assess the intra‐ and intersession reproducibility of PT DTI and IVIM parameters. Results DTI parameters for healthy PT were 1.54 ± 0.09 × 10‐3 mm2/s, 1.01 ± 0.05 × 10‐3 mm2/s, 1.18 ± 0.06 × 10‐3 mm2/s, and 0.30 ± 0.04 for AD, RD, MD, and FA, respectively. Significantly higher (P < 0.05) IVIM parameters f p and D* × f p were observed in the outer‐two thirds (6.1% ± 2.4% and 95.2 ± 49.6, respectively) compared with the central‐third (3.8% ± 2.3% and 48.6 ± 35.2, respectively) of the PT. Data Conclusion Diffusion MRI of PT with an ste‐RS‐EPI protocol is clinically feasible. Both DTI‐ and IVIM‐derived parameters of the PT demonstrated good test–retest reproducibility and interrater reliability. Level of Evidence: 2 Technical Efficacy: Stage 1 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2020;51:780–790.

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Diffusion tensor imaging of human Achilles tendon by stimulated echo readout‐segmented EPI (ste‐RS‐EPI)

Cited by 26 publications

References 56 publications

Diffusion tractography of the rat knee at microscopic resolution

Diffusion tractography of the rat knee at microscopic resolution

Intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) imaging in human achilles tendon

In vivo evaluation of human patellar tendon microstructure and microcirculation with diffusion MRI

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