UTE MRI of the Osteochondral Junction

Abstract

The osteochondral junction is composed of numerous tissue components and serves important functions relating to structural stability and proper nutrition in joints such as the knee and spine. Conventional MR techniques have been inadequate at imaging the tissues of the osteochondral junction primarily because of the intrinsically short T2 nature of these tissues, rendering them “invisible” with the standard acquisitions. Ultrashort time to echo (UTE) MR techniques acquire sufficient MR signal of osteochondral tissues, thereby allowing direct evaluation. This article reviews the anatomy of the osteochondral junction of the knee and the spine, technical aspects of UTE MRI, and the application of UTE MRI for evaluation of the osteochondral junction.