Repeatability and Sensitivity of qDESS T2 Mapping of Cartilage

Intra- and inter-day repeatabilities of qDESS T2 in knee cartilage, assessed by fully-automatic segmentation using a deep-learning, open-source framework for musculoskeletal MRI analysis (DOSMA) and also by manual segmentation of tread mark regions of known tibiofemoral contact areas, were assessed and compared in 10 uninjured participants. qDESS T2 RMSA-CVs were less than 6% for all ROIs examined and showed good to excellent ICCs for the majority of ROIs assessed. A preliminary sensitivity analysis found that both segmentation schemes detected significant T2 changes over time in lateral tibial cartilage while only DOSMA segmentation detected T2 change to medial tibial cartilage.