Koyun Mustafa, Arda Kemal Niyazi
Department of Radiology, Gülhane Training and Research Hospital, University of Health Sciences, Ankara 06010, Türkiye.
Diagnostics (Basel). 2025 Jun 26;15(13):1634. doi: 10.3390/diagnostics15131634.
T2 mapping is a quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique that provides information about tissue water content and molecular mobility. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic utility of T2 mapping in assessing sacroiliitis associated with spondyloarthropathy (SpA). A prospective study examined a total of 56 participants, comprising 31 SpA patients ( = 31) and 25 healthy controls ( = 25), who underwent sacroiliac joint MRI between August 2018 and August 2020. T2 mapping images were generated using multi-echo turbo spin echo (TSE) sequence, and quantitative T2 relaxation times were measured from bone and cartilage regions. Statistical analysis employed appropriate parametric and non-parametric tests with significance set at < 0.05. The mean T2 relaxation time measured from the areas with osteitis of SpA patients (100.23 ± 7.41 ms; 95% CI: 97.51-102.95) was significantly higher than that of the control group in normal bone (69.44 ± 4.37 ms; 95% CI: 67.64-71.24), and this difference was found to be statistically significant ( < 0.001). No significant difference was observed between cartilage T2 relaxation times in SpA patients and controls ( > 0.05). T2 mapping serves as a valuable quantitative imaging biomarker for diagnosing sacroiliitis associated with SpA, particularly by detecting bone marrow edema. The technique shows promise for objective disease assessment, though larger studies are needed to establish standardized reference values for T2 relaxation times in osteitis to enhance diagnostic accuracy and facilitate treatment monitoring.
T2 映射是一种定量磁共振成像（MRI）技术，可提供有关组织含水量和分子流动性的信息。本研究旨在评估 T2 映射在评估与脊柱关节病（SpA）相关的骶髂关节炎中的诊断效用。一项前瞻性研究共纳入了 56 名参与者，包括 31 名 SpA 患者（n = 31）和 25 名健康对照者（n = 25），他们于 2018 年 8 月至 2020 年 8 月期间接受了骶髂关节 MRI 检查。使用多回波快速自旋回波（TSE）序列生成 T2 映射图像，并从骨骼和软骨区域测量定量 T2 弛豫时间。统计分析采用了适当的参数检验和非参数检验，显著性设定为 P < 0.05。SpA 患者骨炎区域的平均 T2 弛豫时间（100.23 ± 7.41 ms；95%CI：97.51 - 102.95）显著高于正常骨骼对照组（69.44 ± 4.37 ms；95%CI：67.64 - 71.24），且发现这种差异具有统计学意义（P < 0.001）。SpA 患者和对照组的软骨 T2 弛豫时间之间未观察到显著差异（P > 0.05）。T2 映射是诊断与 SpA 相关的骶髂关节炎的一种有价值的定量成像生物标志物，特别是通过检测骨髓水肿。该技术在客观疾病评估方面显示出前景，不过需要更大规模的研究来建立骨炎中 T2 弛豫时间的标准化参考值，以提高诊断准确性并便于治疗监测。
