TY - JOUR
T1 - Magnetic Resonance Imaging compatible Elastic Loading Mechanism (MELM)
T2 - A minimal footprint device for MR imaging under load
AU - Boon, Jaap
AU - Ploem, Telly
AU - Simpson, Cole S.
AU - Hermann, Ingo
AU - Akcakaya, Mehmet
AU - Oei, Edwin H.
AU - Zadpoor, Amir A.
AU - Tumer, Nazli
AU - Piscaer, Tom M.
AU - Tourais, Joao
AU - Weingartner, Sebastian
PY - 2021/11/1
Y1 - 2021/11/1
N2 - Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) can enable early diagnosis of knee cartilage damage if imaging is performed during the application of load. Mechanical loading via ropes, pulleys and suspended weights can be obstructive and require adaptations to the patient table. In this paper, a new lightweight MRI-compatible elastic loading mechanism is introduced. The new device showed sufficient linearity (|α/β| = 0.42 ± 0.25), reproducibility (CoV = 5 ± 2%), and stability (CoV = 0.5 ± 0.1%). In vivo and ex vivo scans confirmed the ability of the device to exert sufficient force to study the knee cartilage under loading conditions, inducing up to a 29% decrease in $T_2^{\ast}$ of the central medial cartilage. With this device mechanical loading can become more accessible for researchers and clinicians, thus facilitating the translational use of MRI biomarkers for the detection of cartilage deterioration.
AB - Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) can enable early diagnosis of knee cartilage damage if imaging is performed during the application of load. Mechanical loading via ropes, pulleys and suspended weights can be obstructive and require adaptations to the patient table. In this paper, a new lightweight MRI-compatible elastic loading mechanism is introduced. The new device showed sufficient linearity (|α/β| = 0.42 ± 0.25), reproducibility (CoV = 5 ± 2%), and stability (CoV = 0.5 ± 0.1%). In vivo and ex vivo scans confirmed the ability of the device to exert sufficient force to study the knee cartilage under loading conditions, inducing up to a 29% decrease in $T_2^{\ast}$ of the central medial cartilage. With this device mechanical loading can become more accessible for researchers and clinicians, thus facilitating the translational use of MRI biomarkers for the detection of cartilage deterioration.
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U2 - 10.1109/EMBC46164.2021.9630397
DO - 10.1109/EMBC46164.2021.9630397
M3 - Article
C2 - 34892045
AN - SCOPUS:85122538225
SN - 2694-0604
VL - 2021
SP - 3721
EP - 3724
JO - Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. Annual International Conference
JF - Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. Annual International Conference
ER -