Three-dimensional delayed gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of hip joint cartilage at 3 T: A prospective controlled study

Purpose: To assess acetabular and femoral hip joint cartilage with three-dimensional (3D) delayed gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (dGEMRIC) in patients with degeneration of hip joint cartilage and asymptomatic controls with morphologically normal appearing cartilage. Methods and materials: A total of 40 symptomatic patients (18 males, 22 females; mean age: 32.8 ± 10.2 years, range: 18–57 years) with different hip joint deformities including femoroacetabular impingement (n = 35), residual hip dysplasia (n = 3) and coxa magna due to Legg–Calve–Perthes disease in childhood (n = 2) underwent high-resolution 3D dGEMRIC for the evaluation of acetabular and femoral hip joint cartilage. Thirty-one asymptomatic healthy volunteers (12 males, 19 females; mean age: 24.5 ± 1.8 years, range: 21–29 years) without underlying hip deformities were included as control. MRI was performed at 3 T using a body matrix phased array coil. Region of interest (ROI) analyses for T1Gd assessment was performed in seven regions in the hip joint, including anterior to superior and posterior regions. Results: T1Gd mapping demonstrated the typical pattern of acetabular cartilage consistent with a higher glycosaminoglycan (GAG) content in the main weight-bearing area. T1Gd values were significantly higher in the control group than in the patient group whereas significant differences in T1Gd values corresponding to the amount of cartilage damage were noted both in the patient group and in the control group. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates the potential of high-resolution 3D dGEMRIC at 3 T for separate acetabular and femoral hip joint cartilage assessment in various forms of hip joint deformities.