MRI texture analysis of subchondral bone at the tibial plateau

OBJECTIVES: To determine the feasibility of MRI texture analysis as a method of quantifying subchondral bone architecture in knee osteoarthritis (OA).   METHODS: Asymptomatic subjects aged 20-30 (group 1, n = 10), symptomatic patients aged 40-50 (group 2, n = 10) and patients scheduled for knee replacement aged 55-85 (group 3, n = 10) underwent high spatial resolution T1-weighted coronal 3T knee MRI. Regions of interest were created in the medial (MT) and lateral (LT) tibial subchondral bone from which 20 texture parameters were calculated. T2 mapping of the tibial cartilage was performed in groups 1 and 2. Mean parameter values were compared between groups using ANOVA. Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) was used to evaluate the ability of texture analysis to classify subjects correctly.   RESULTS: Significant differences in 18/20 and 12/20 subchondral bone texture parameters were demonstrated between groups at the MT and LT respectively. There was no significant difference in mean MT or LT cartilage T2 values between group 1 and group 2. LDA demonstrated subject classification accuracy of 97 % (95 % CI 91-100 %).   CONCLUSION: MRI texture analysis of tibial subchondral bone may allow detection of alteration in subchondral bone architecture in OA. This has potential applications in understanding OA pathogenesis and assessing response to treatment.   KEY POINTS: • Improved techniques to monitor OA disease progression and treatment response are desirable • Subchondral bone (SB) may play significant role in the development of OA • MRI texture analysis is a method of quantifying changes in SB architecture • Pilot study showed that this technique is feasible and reliable • Significant differences in SB texture were demonstrated between individuals with/without OA

Case report: maternal mosaicism resulting in inheritance of a novel GATA6 mutation causing pancreatic agenesis and neonatal diabetes mellitus.

Haploinsufficiency of the GATA6 transcription factor gene was recently found to be the most common cause of pancreatic agenesis, a rare cause of neonatal diabetes mellitus. Although most cases are de novo, we describe three siblings with inherited GATA6 haploinsufficiency and the rare finding of parental mosaicism.This article is freely available via Open Access. Click on the Additional Link above to access the full-text via the publisher's site