Int J Sports Med 2020; 41(06): 398-411
DOI: 10.1055/a-1083-6580
Orthopedics & Biomechanics
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Femoropatellar Joint Reaction Detected During a 4486 KM Ultramarathon with Mobile MRI

Uwe Hans-Werner Schütz
1   Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
,
Martin Brix
2   Department of Orthopaedics, Landesklinikum Amstetten, Amstetten, Austria
,
Antje Kiess
1   Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
,
Sabine Goed
3   MR Centre of Excellence, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-Guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Wien, Austria
,
Klaus Friedrich
4   Department of Radiology, Division of Neuroradiology and Musculoskeletal Radiology, Medical University of Vienna, Wien, Austria
,
Michael Weber
5   Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-Guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Wien, Austria
,
Alina Messner
6   Department of Radiology, MR Centre-High field MR, Medical University of Vienna, Wien, Austria
,
Christian Billich
1   Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
,
Siegfried Trattnig
3   MR Centre of Excellence, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-Guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Wien, Austria
› Author Affiliations

Funding: This project was mainly supported in part by the German Research Association (DFG: ‘Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft’), under Grants SCHU 2514/1–1 and SCHU 2514/1–2. Other non-public funds were received from Siemens Healthcare Ltd. and the Medical Faculty of the University of Ulm. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. No additional external Funding was received for this study.
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Publication History



accepted 04 December 2019

Publication Date:
20 January 2020 (online)

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Abstract

Almost nothing is known about the condition of the knee joints of multistage ultra-marathon (MSUM) runner. This is first image-based investigation of the femoropatellar joint (FPJ) using a mobile 1.5T MRI accompanying the MSUM TransEurope Foot-Race (TEFR) 64 stages over 4486 km. Twenty-two (20 male) subjects got a knee MRI-protocol at defined measurement intervals during TEFR: T2*-mapping (FLASH T2*-GRE), TIRM, and fat saturated PD -sequence. In the FPJ 12 different regions were evaluated regarding cartilage T2* and thickness changes and cartilage lesions in course of TEFR and a test on possible compounding factors (running burden, BMI, age) was done if being appropriate. No significant changes in cartilage thickness- and T2*-values were found during TEFR. In 8 runners, at least one single cartilage lesion (Grade 2–3) was found at baseline, but no significant race-related adjacent T2*-changes or progress of the defects could be detected. Analyses on compounding factors were negative. In knees with MPP (5) significantly lower adjacent T2*-values were found. The extreme running burden of a MSUM seems not to have a relevant negative influence on the FPJ tissues, even if cartilage lesions are present.

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