OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility of depicting the internal structure of the Achilles tendon in vivo using high-resolution 3-dimensional ultrashort echo-time (UTE) magnetic resonance imaging at 7 T. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For our UTE imaging, a minimum-phase radiofrequency pulse and an anisotropic field-of-view 3-dimensional radial acquisition were used to minimize the echo time and scan time. A fat saturation pulse was applied every 8 spoke acquisitions to reduce blurring and chemical shift artifacts from fat and to improve the dynamic range of the tendon signal. Five healthy volunteers and 1 patient were scanned with an isotropic spatial resolution of up to 0.6 mm. Fat-suppressed UTE images were qualitatively evaluated and compared with non-fat-suppressed UTE images and longer echo-time images. RESULTS: High-resolution UTE imaging was able to visualize the microstructure of the Achilles tendon. Fat suppression substantially improved the depiction of the internal structure. The UTE images revealed a fascicular pattern in the Achilles tendon and fibrocartilage at the tendon insertion. In a patient who had tendon elongation surgery after birth, there was a clear depiction of disrupted tendon structure. CONCLUSIONS: High-resolution fat-suppressed 3-dimensional UTE imaging at 7 T allows for the evaluation of the Achilles tendon microstructure in vivo.
OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility of depicting the internal structure of the Achilles tendon in vivo using high-resolution 3-dimensional ultrashort echo-time (UTE) magnetic resonance imaging at 7 T. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For our UTE imaging, a minimum-phase radiofrequency pulse and an anisotropic field-of-view 3-dimensional radial acquisition were used to minimize the echo time and scan time. A fat saturation pulse was applied every 8 spoke acquisitions to reduce blurring and chemical shift artifacts from fat and to improve the dynamic range of the tendon signal. Five healthy volunteers and 1 patient were scanned with an isotropic spatial resolution of up to 0.6 mm. Fat-suppressed UTE images were qualitatively evaluated and compared with non-fat-suppressed UTE images and longer echo-time images. RESULTS: High-resolution UTE imaging was able to visualize the microstructure of the Achilles tendon. Fat suppression substantially improved the depiction of the internal structure. The UTE images revealed a fascicular pattern in the Achilles tendon and fibrocartilage at the tendon insertion. In a patient who had tendon elongation surgery after birth, there was a clear depiction of disrupted tendon structure. CONCLUSIONS: High-resolution fat-suppressed 3-dimensional UTE imaging at 7 T allows for the evaluation of the Achilles tendon microstructure in vivo.
Authors: Richard J Hodgson; Robert Evans; Peter Wright; Andrew J Grainger; Philip J O'Connor; Philip Helliwell; Dennis McGonagle; Paul Emery; Matthew D Robson Journal: Magn Reson Med Date: 2011-01-10 Impact factor: 4.668
Authors: Vladimir Juras; Stefan Zbyn; Christina Pressl; Ladislav Valkovic; Pavol Szomolanyi; Ivan Frollo; Siegfried Trattnig Journal: Magn Reson Med Date: 2012-01-03 Impact factor: 4.668
Authors: Tim Finkenstaedt; Palanan Siriwanarangsun; Suraj Achar; Michael Carl; Sina Finkenstaedt; Nirusha Abeydeera; Christine B Chung; Won C Bae Journal: Invest Radiol Date: 2019-01 Impact factor: 6.016
Authors: Peder E Z Larson; Misung Han; Roland Krug; Angela Jakary; Sarah J Nelson; Daniel B Vigneron; Roland G Henry; Graeme McKinnon; Douglas A C Kelley Journal: MAGMA Date: 2015-12-24 Impact factor: 2.310
Authors: Tim Finkenstaedt; Reni Biswas; Nirusha A Abeydeera; Palanan Siriwanarangsun; Robert Healey; Sheronda Statum; Won C Bae; Christine B Chung Journal: Invest Radiol Date: 2019-06 Impact factor: 6.016
Authors: Guy Trudel; Samuel Duchesne-Bélanger; Justin Thomas; Gerd Melkus; Greg O Cron; Peder E Z Larson; Mark Schweitzer; Adnan Sheikh; Hakim Louati; Odette Laneuville Journal: Quant Imaging Med Surg Date: 2021-08