QUANTITATIVE ASSESSMENT OF GLENOHUMERAL CARTILAGE USING MRI T2 RELAXOMETRY FOR EARLY DEGENERATION DETECTION: A PROSPECTIVE STUDY

Background: Early detection of cartilage degeneration is essential for preventing the progression of osteoarthritis. Conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has limitations in detecting subtle biochemical changes in cartilage.T2 relaxometry provides a quantitative approach for evaluating cartilage integrity. Objective: To assess the utility of MRI T2 relaxometry in detecting early degenerative changes in the glenohumeral cartilage Materials and Methods : A prospective study was conducted on 18 patients below 50 years of age presenting with shoulder pain without trauma .MRI examinations were performed using 1.5 tesla scanners from two vendors with standardized imaging protocols .T2 maps were generated using vendor - specific software and analyzed using region of interest based measurements .