Systematic review of techniques in cartilage imaging

Introduction

This narrative review provides a historical overview and updates on the current status of qualitative and quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the evaluation of articular cartilage. The review emphasizes the basic physics principles underlying common cartilage-specific imaging sequences, provides explanations of the magnetic resonance pulse sequences used in articular cartilage imaging, and highlights the advantages and limitations of different pulse sequences.

Objectives

To review current literature on qualitative and qualitative MRI for the evaluation of articular cartilage.

Methods

A computer-based search of the PubMed database was used to perform a comprehensive literature review on MRI for evaluation of articular cartilage. All journals were considered, and all relevant articles were retrieved. Relevant material was drawn from the years 1977 to 2023 and a total of 84 publications were ultimately included in the review.

Results

The literature review highlights the physics principles and rationale underlying the most commonly used cartilage-specific MRI sequences.

Conclusions

MRI is the optimal noninvasive method for the assessment of articular cartilage. Many factors affect the clinical utility of various cartilage-specific MRI sequences. It is important that radiologists and clinicians alike have a basic understanding of the optimal methods for cartilage imaging.