Clinical imaging of articular cartilage lesions will likely be one of the main beneficiaries in the new era of 3T MRI, according to presentations Thursday.

"We are going to get better detection of cartilage lesions, and we are also going to get to treat these lesions early, before damage is permanent," said Dr. Garry E. Gold, a professor of medical engineering at Stanford University.

Three-D steady-state free precession scanning sequences, such as fluctuating equilibrium magnetic resonance (FEMR), should soon replace 2D and 3D sequences currently in use like fast spin-echo, he said. The technique offers higher signal-to-noise ratio and resolution, better options for fat suppression, and in general, faster patient throughput and efficiency.

New contrast-enhanced techniques may also improve imaging of knee joints, he said.

According to Martha L. Gray, Ph.D., the Edward Hood Taplin professor of medical engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, gadolinium-DTPA MRI of glycosaminoglycans -- a molecular component of cartilage -- is a promising new technique to evaluate the biophysical, biochemical, and biomechanical properties of this tissue.

The new imaging technique would offer a way of measuring diseased and damaged joints early and provide a sensitive diagnostic tool to assess changes during the healing process, as well as an accurate way to monitor treatment, Gray said.