Quantitative MRI of Cartilage and Synovium in JRA
Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) is the most common chronic inflammatory arthritis of childhood. The end result of ongoing synovial inflammation is degradation of articular cartilage. It is not known whether the control of synovitis halts further cartilage degradation. Irreversible thinning and erosion of cartilage leads to significant morbidity and loss of function. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is proven to be a useful modality for depicting articular cartilage and synovium in both children and adults with inflammatory arthritis. Quantitative T2 mapping of articular cartilage in adults has shown that increased T2 relaxation time is an early marker of cartilage injury. This project is performed in collaboration with Dr. Robin Poole at McGill University and the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center Imaging Research Center. Key investigators on the study are Bernard J. Darzinski, PhD, Principal Investigator, T. Brent Graham, MD, and Tal Laor, MD.
directed by Bernard J. Dardzinski, PhD.
Aims of this research are as follows:
- Evaluate serial short-term changes in articular cartilage T2 relaxation time as a function of synovial inflammation. Investigation will focus on articular cartilage of the knee in children with JRA and disease duration less than two years.
- Evaluate serial long-term changes in articular cartilage T2 relaxation time in the knees of children with JRA and disease duration of greater than two years.
Journal Publications
Gylys-Morin VM, Graham TB, Blebea JS, Dardzinski B, Laor T, Johnson ND, Oestreich AE, Passo M. MR imaging of findings of the knee in early JRA. Radiology 220:696-706, 2001.
Graham TB, Laor T, Dardzinski BJ. Quantitative magnetic resonance imaging of the hands and wrists of children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. J Rheumatol (in press).
Workie DW, Dardzinski BJ, Graham TB, Laor T, Bommer WA, O'Brien KJ, "Quantification of Dynamic Contrast Enhanced MR Imaging of the Knee in Children with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis Based on Pharmacokinetic Modeling", Magnetic Resonance Imaging, 22, 1201-1210, 2004.
Kight AC, Dardzinski BJ, Laor T, Graham TB, "MRI Evaluation of the Effects of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis on Distal Femoral Weight-Bearing Cartilage", Arthritis & Rheumatism, 50, 901-905, 2004.
Workie DW, Dardzinski BJ, "Quantifying Dynamic Contrast Enhanced MR Imaging of the Knee in Children with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis using an Arterial Input Function (AIF) Extracted from Popliteal Artery Enhancement and The Effect of the Choice of the AIF on the Kinetic Parameters", MRM in Revision
Workie DW, Dardzinski BJ, "Utility of Quantitative Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MR Imaging of the Knee in Children with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis based on Pharmacokinetic Modeling", (in preparation).
Meeting Abstracts
Dardzinski, B, Laor T, Schmithorst, VJ, Graham TB, "Dynamic Contrast Enhancement Patterns in the Knee of Children with JRA", International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine Tenth Scientific Meeting, Honolulu, Hawaii, May 17-24, 2002.
Dardzinski BJ, Workie DW, Laor T, Graham TB, "Dynamic Enhanced Imaging of the Knee in Children with JRA", Arthritis Research Conference, Keystone, CO, June 27-29, 2003.
Workie DW, Dardzinski BJ, Laor T, Graham TB, "Measurement of Gd-DTPA Pharmacokinetics in the Pediatric Knee using Perfusion-Weighted MR Imaging", Proc. Intl. Soc. Mag. Reson. Med. 11 (2003), 448.
Workie DW, Dardzinski BJ, "Quantification of DCE-MRI of Knees of Children with JRA: Using an Arterial Input Function Extracted from Popliteal Artery Enhancement", Proc. Intl. Soc. Mag. Reson. Med. 12 (2004), 424.
