Correlation analysis between the mDIXON-quant fat quantification parameters of the infrapatellar fat pad and the severity of knee osteoarthritis

作者：Bao-Gen Zhao, Yu‐Jin Zhang, Meng Wang, Ning Wang, Yong Wang, Ting Gao, Li Zhang · 发表于：Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1186/s13018-025-05687-2 · 被引用次数：6 · 研究领域：Osteoarthritis Treatment and Mechanisms、Lower Extremity Biomechanics and Pathologies、Total Knee Arthroplasty Outcomes

PURPOSE: This study aimed to explore the correlation between the proton density fat fraction (PDFF) of the infrapatellar fat pad and the severity of knee osteoarthritis (KOA), with a focus on identifying potential imaging biomarkers for KOA progression. METHODS: Seventy patients with KOA and forty-four healthy controls (HCs) were prospectively recruited for conventional MR and mDIXON-Quant sequence scanning. The mDIXON-Quant technique was selected for its precision in fat quantification and ability to provide three-dimensional water-fat separation, offering superior accuracy in assessing fat content compared to traditional methods.The severity of KOA was assessed via the whole-organ magnetic resonance imaging score (WORMS). Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were calculated to assess interobserver agreement for the PDFF measurements. Differences in the PDFF between KOA patients and HCs were compared. Additionally, the correlations between the PDFF of the infrapatellar fat pad in KOA patients and scores of the characteristic areas included in the knee WORMS were analyzed. RESULTS: The PDFF of the infrapatellar fat pad in KOA patients was significantly lower than in HCs. PDFF in KOA patients was negatively correlated with multiple aspects of total knee WORMS scores (e.g., articular cartilage integrity, etc.; r from - 0.94 to -0.25; P < 0.05), except for medial or lateral collateral ligament integrity (r = 0.27, P ≥ 0.05). Interobserver agreement was excellent (ICC = 0.7...