Texture analysis of articular cartilage traumatic changes in the knee calculated from morphological 3.0T MR imaging

Abstract

Objectives: In the present work, we aim to identify changes in the cartilage texture of the injured knee in young, physically active, patients by computer analysis of MRI images based on 3.0T morphological sequences.

Methods: Fifty-three young patients with training injury or trauma in one knee underwent MRI and arthroscopy. Textural features were computed from the MRI images of the knee-cartilages and two classes were formed of 28 normal and 16 with pathology only in the medial femoral condyle (MFC) cartilage.

Results: Textural features with statistically significant differences between the two classes were found only at the MFC and the medial tibial condyle (MTC) areas. Three features-combinations, at the MFC or the MTC, maximized the between classes separation, thus, rendering alterations in cartilage texture due to injury more evident. The MFC cartilage in the pathology class was found more inhomogeneous in the distribution of gray-levels and of lower texture anisotropy and the opposed MTC cartilage, though normal on MRI and arthroscopy, was found to have lower texture anisotropy than cartilage in the normal class.

Conclusion: Texture analysis may be used as an adjunct to morphological MR imaging for improving the detection of subtle cartilage changes and contributes to early therapeutic approach.