Key result
Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease deformity was associated with a +2.93 ms higher age-adjusted T1ρ relaxation time compared to hips without deformity (95% CI 0.65-3.42).
Why the study?
To determine whether the relationship between cartilage T1ρ relaxation time and age during adolescence and young adulthood differs in hips with Legg–Calvé–Perthes disease deformity compared to hips without.
Cohort (n=32)
Mean Difference: 2.93 (95% CI 0.65–3.42)
Age-related changes in T1ρ relaxation time differ between hips with and without LCPD deformity, indicating early and progressive cartilage degradation in LCPD.
May warrant cartilage monitoring in LCPD; hypothesis-generating and leaves causal progression open for prospective study.
Objective To determine whether the relationship between cartilage T 1ρ relaxation time and age during adolescence and young adulthood is different in hips with Legg–Calvé–Perthes disease (LCPD) deformity compared to hips without LCPD deformity. Design We recruited 17 participants with LCPD deformity and 15 control participants aged 10–25 years in this frequency-matched cohort study. Quantitative magnetic resonance images were obtained for both hips in LCPD participants and one hip from each control using a T 1ρ MAPSS sequence. The average T 1ρ relaxation time in the weight-bearing articular cartilage was calculated, and we tested the interacting effects of age and participant group (LCPD vs non-LCPD) or subgroup (control, contralateral LCPD, spherical LCPD, and aspherical LCPD) on T 1ρ using mixed effects models. Results The main effect of age on T 1ρ relaxation time in hips without LCPD deformity was −0.63 ms/year (95 % confidence interval [−0.94, −0.32]). The age-adjusted main effect of LCPD deformity was +2.93 ms [0.65, 3.42] and the interaction effect of age and LCPD deformity was +0.46 ms/year [0.16, 0.76]. Moderate differences were observed between control and contralateral LCPD subgroups, and between spherical LCPD and aspherical LCPD subgroups. Conclusions Age-related changes in T 1ρ relaxation time differ between hips with and without LCPD deformity, suggesting that cartilage degradation in LCPD is progressive and begins early in the healed stage of LCPD. By young adulthood, the difference in T 1ρ between LCPD and non-LCPD hips is clinically important when considering osteoarthritis progression and outcomes.
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Johnson et al. (2025) conducted a cohort in Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease (LCPD) deformity (n=32). Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease (LCPD) deformity vs. Hips without LCPD deformity was evaluated on T1ρ relaxation time in weight-bearing articular cartilage (MD +2.93 ms, 95% CI 0.65, 3.42). Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease deformity was associated with a +2.93 ms higher age-adjusted T1ρ relaxation time compared to hips without deformity (95% CI 0.65-3.42).
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