Date of Award
2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Mechanical Engineering
First Advisor
Niccolo M. Fiorentino
Abstract
A healthy tibiofemoral joint is vital to performing daily activities without pain. Articular cartilage eases movement by withstanding load and providing a frictionless surface for joint movement. Articular cartilage is a connective tissue composed of water, collagen, and proteoglycans which maintain its ability to resist mechanical stress and allow it to perform its functions effectively. However, cartilage does not have the ability to heal itself when damaged, meaning degradation is irreversible. Cartilage degeneration is the hallmark sign of osteoarthritis (OA) for which there is currently no cure. OA is often undetected until pain is present, at which point it is too late to reverse its progression. An understanding of the mechanisms behind cartilage’s response to load is imperative to developing countermeasures that delay the onset of OA and improve quality of life for at-risk populations. For example, astronauts who are exposed to microgravity on long duration missions are likely to experience adverse health effects, such as joint degeneration that puts them at risk for developing OA upon returning to Earth. Cartilage’s response to load and composition can be studied in vivo using quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (qMRI).
The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which changes in qMRI with controlled loading are explained by differences in joint curvature. The knees of ten healthy, asymptomatic individuals (average age: 23 ± 2.4 years) were imaged at two visits (7 ± 3 days apart) using a 3T MRI scanner and a 16-channel knee radiofrequency coil. T1ρ and T2* images of the left and right knees were acquired in unloaded (i.e., traditional) and loaded conditions. Subchondral bone and cartilage surfaces were segmented and converted into point clouds that were used to define eight regions of interest (ROIs). A sensitivity analysis was conducted to determine the number of neighboring points to use in the subsequent curvature analyses. Different measures of curvature (maximum and minimum principal curvatures, Gaussian curvature, mean principal curvature, and root mean square curvature) were calculated across all ROIs, and associations between joint curvature and changes in composition were determined. Statistically significant relationships were found in four ROIs across the two scan types, indicating that curvature may be a biomarker for the response of cartilage to applied load. The knowledge gained from this study can be used to develop anatomic-specific countermeasures that preserve the health of populations that may be at risk for developing OA.
Language
en
Number of Pages
60 p.
Recommended Citation
Bett, Natalie, "Joint Geometry's Impact on Articular Cartilage's Response to Loading as Measured In Vivo Using Quantitative MRI" (2025). Graduate College Dissertations and Theses. 2045.
https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/graddis/2045
Included in
Biomechanics Commons, Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons, Mechanical Engineering Commons
