About this Research Topic
Cartilage degeneration coupled osteoarthritis development affects a large number of global citizens, who may eventually become unable to perform the usual activities of daily living. It is essential to access more accurate non-invasive imaging techniques to characterize cartilage health. This would allow earlier diagnosis and initiation of therapy, which is more effective at an early stage compared with a later stage when irreversible damage has occurred. Equally important, these techniques could be important for follow-up after therapy.
Novel quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques are capable of non-invasive assessment of cartilage at high spatial resolution and allow assessment of longitudinal changes in cartilage and potentially predict critical degenerations. Such MRI-based techniques have been mainly focused i) on cartilage composition and related MR properties of whole cartilage tissue, ii) on distinguished layers and zones of cartilage and osteochondral transition, or iii) on the cartilage functional characteristics under loading and motion.
The goal of this research topic is to bring together the recently developed quantitative MRI techniques and protocols for cartilage assessment and to discuss the limitations of each for potential future transitions into clinics for cartilage health assessment. This research topic will serve as a comprehensive reading material for endocrinology researchers to understand their potential tools for cartilage tissue monitoring through disease development.
This Research Topic welcomes original articles, reviews, method articles, hypotheses, perspectives, and technology & code articles. Specific topics are investigations in humans or animal models, ex- and in-vivo which demonstrate
1. Advances in quantitative MRI acquisition targeting cartilage tissue.
2. Cartilage multi-layer microstructure and potential critical zones for tissue degeneration onsets
3. Quantitative MRI models for cartilage compositional and microstructural characteristics
4. Advances in automated cartilage segmentation and post-processing methods
5. Insights in the cartilage function assessment under loading and during joint motion
Novel quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques are capable of non-invasive assessment of cartilage at high spatial resolution and allow assessment of longitudinal changes in cartilage and potentially predict critical degenerations. Such MRI-based techniques have been mainly focused i) on cartilage composition and related MR properties of whole cartilage tissue, ii) on distinguished layers and zones of cartilage and osteochondral transition, or iii) on the cartilage functional characteristics under loading and motion.
The goal of this research topic is to bring together the recently developed quantitative MRI techniques and protocols for cartilage assessment and to discuss the limitations of each for potential future transitions into clinics for cartilage health assessment. This research topic will serve as a comprehensive reading material for endocrinology researchers to understand their potential tools for cartilage tissue monitoring through disease development.
This Research Topic welcomes original articles, reviews, method articles, hypotheses, perspectives, and technology & code articles. Specific topics are investigations in humans or animal models, ex- and in-vivo which demonstrate
1. Advances in quantitative MRI acquisition targeting cartilage tissue.
2. Cartilage multi-layer microstructure and potential critical zones for tissue degeneration onsets
3. Quantitative MRI models for cartilage compositional and microstructural characteristics
4. Advances in automated cartilage segmentation and post-processing methods
5. Insights in the cartilage function assessment under loading and during joint motion
Keywords: cartilage, quantitative MRI, osteochondral junction, deep layer cartilage, loading
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
