Macromolecular fraction (MMF) from 3D ultrashort echo time cones magnetization transfer (3D UTE-Cones-MT) imaging predicts meniscal degeneration and knee osteoarthritis

Meniscal degeneration is strongly associated with osteoarthritis (OA). We aimed to evaluate a 3D ultrashort-echo-time Cones magnetization transfer (UTE-Cones-MT) sequence for quantification of macromolecular fraction (MMF) and MT ratio (MTR) in menisci of healthy volunteers and patients with different degrees of OA. Patients with mild OA (n = 19; 37–86 years; 10 males) or advanced OA (n = 12; 52–88 years; 4 males) and healthy volunteers (n = 17; 20–49 years; 7 males) were scanned with T2-FSE and UTE-Cones-MT sequences at 3T. Morphological assessment was performed using meniscal whole-organ magnetic resonance imaging score (WORMS). MMF and MTR were calculated for menisci, and correlated with age and meniscal WORMS scores. The diagnostic efficiency was performed by using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and the area under the curve (AUC) analyses. Decreased MMF and MTR were observed in menisci of patients with mild or advanced OA compared with healthy subjects, and in menisci with tears (Grade 2–4) compared with normal menisci (Grade 0). Significant negative correlations were observed between MMF (r = −0.769, P