Simultaneous Bilateral T1, T2, and T1ρ Relaxation Mapping of Hip Osteoarthritis with 3D-MRI Fingerprinting

Motivation: T1, T2 and T1ρ mapping using Magnetic Resonance Fingerprinting (MRF) is a promising approach to image Osteoarthritis (OA) in the hip joint. Goal(s): Evaluate the feasibility of the 3D-MRF sequence to discriminate early hip OA patients from healthy subjects (HS). Approach: We scanned 8 HS and 4 hip early OA patients. Dictionary matching is performed to estimate T1, T2, and T1ρ maps. Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) combines the parametric map values to improve OA detection. Results: T1, T2, and T1ρ values in femur lateral compartment (hip joint) can distinguish early OA patients from HS. Combining the parameters using LDA improves early OA detection. Impact: Our preliminary study demonstrates that T1, T2, and T1ρ values from 3D-MRF can potentially be used to detect early OA in the hip joint.