TY - JOUR
T1 - T-2 mapping of healthy knee cartilage
T2 - multicenter multivendor reproducibility
AU - Verschueren, Joost
AU - Eijgenraam, Susanne
AU - Klein, Stefan
AU - Poot, Dirk
AU - Bierma - Zeinstra, Sita
AU - Hernandez Tamames, Juan
AU - Wielopolski, Piotr
AU - Reijman, Max
AU - Oei, Edwin
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 AME Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
PY - 2021/4
Y1 - 2021/4
N2 - Background: T2 mapping is increasingly used to quantify cartilage degeneration in knee osteoarthritis (OA), yet reproducibility studies in a multicenter setting are limited. The purpose of this study was to determine the longitudinal reproducibility and multicenter variation of cartilage T2 mapping, using various MRI equipment and acquisition protocols. Methods: In this prospective multicenter study, four traveling, healthy human subjects underwent T2 mapping twice at five different centers with a 6-month-interval. Centers had various MRI scanners, field strengths, and T2 mapping acquisition protocols. Mean T2 values were calculated in six cartilage regions of interest (ROIs) as well as an average value per patient. A phantom was scanned once at each center. To evaluate longitudinal reproducibility, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), root-mean-square coefficient of variation (RMS-CV), and a Bland-Altman plot were used. To assess the variation of in vivo and phantom T2 values across centers, ANOVA was performed. Results: ICCs of the T2 mapping measurements per ROI and the ROI's combined ranged from 0.73 to 0.91, indicating good to excellent longitudinal reproducibility. RMS-CVs ranged from 1.1% to 1.5% (per ROI) and 0.6% to 1.6% (ROIs combined) across the centers. A Bland-Altman plot did not reveal a systematic error. Evident, but consistent, discrepancies in T2values were observed across centers, both in vivo and in the phantom. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that T2mapping can be used to longitudinal assess cartilage degeneration in multicenter studies. Given the differences in absolute cartilage T2values across centers, absolute T2values derived from various centers in multicenter multivendor trials should not be pooled.
AB - Background: T2 mapping is increasingly used to quantify cartilage degeneration in knee osteoarthritis (OA), yet reproducibility studies in a multicenter setting are limited. The purpose of this study was to determine the longitudinal reproducibility and multicenter variation of cartilage T2 mapping, using various MRI equipment and acquisition protocols. Methods: In this prospective multicenter study, four traveling, healthy human subjects underwent T2 mapping twice at five different centers with a 6-month-interval. Centers had various MRI scanners, field strengths, and T2 mapping acquisition protocols. Mean T2 values were calculated in six cartilage regions of interest (ROIs) as well as an average value per patient. A phantom was scanned once at each center. To evaluate longitudinal reproducibility, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), root-mean-square coefficient of variation (RMS-CV), and a Bland-Altman plot were used. To assess the variation of in vivo and phantom T2 values across centers, ANOVA was performed. Results: ICCs of the T2 mapping measurements per ROI and the ROI's combined ranged from 0.73 to 0.91, indicating good to excellent longitudinal reproducibility. RMS-CVs ranged from 1.1% to 1.5% (per ROI) and 0.6% to 1.6% (ROIs combined) across the centers. A Bland-Altman plot did not reveal a systematic error. Evident, but consistent, discrepancies in T2values were observed across centers, both in vivo and in the phantom. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that T2mapping can be used to longitudinal assess cartilage degeneration in multicenter studies. Given the differences in absolute cartilage T2values across centers, absolute T2values derived from various centers in multicenter multivendor trials should not be pooled.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85101047405&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.21037/qims-20-674
DO - 10.21037/qims-20-674
M3 - Article
C2 - 33816164
SN - 2223-4292
VL - 11
SP - 1247
EP - 1255
JO - Quantitative Imaging in Medicine and Surgery
JF - Quantitative Imaging in Medicine and Surgery
IS - 4
ER -